Catch a Falling Star
by sanood
Summary: {COMPLETE} Julia had always wished for adventure, but could one 500 years in the past prove to be too much, even for her? SessXOC InuXKag
1. The Adventure Begins

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Inu Yasha as they are all currently in the possession of the very talented Rumiko Takahashi. Please don't sue me; I'm just having fun in their world.

A/N: Update: 9/26/09: Please note the date of publish on this story, that's right, back in 2004. This was written well before the third and fourth movies came out, and also before the end of the series was shown on Cartoon Network. All off which I have since viewed. I appreciate the need to inform me the some of the details concerning Inu Yasha's past do not fit with what was portrayed in the movies, etc. but there was no way I could have known what Takahashi and co. had in mind. I will also not be altering the story to make it fit. This story is complete and has been for several years now, I will not be changing it. As always, thank you for reading. I'm very happy that so many of you found this story as fun as I do.

**This ****story has major spoilers** for later on in the series. I know the CN has shown up to episode 52, but I use things from way beyond that so if you don't want a few spoilers you might want to stop reading. If you don't really care, I give you a brief update and then go on with the story. Right, so I'm going to start…this is your last chance to remain spoiler free… Okay, so this takes place after the Shichinintai (Seven Man Army) are all defeated, Kikyou was slain by Naraku, and Naraku has his new body. Right about episode 126ish, so to set the scene; the Inu Yasha group has gone back to Kaede's village to regroup after their last big battle, Naraku has revealed that there is only one shard left that he has been unable to locate, and that he has contacted a demon that can hear for a thousand miles around him to tell Naraku if he has heard any whispers of where the last piece Naraku is searching for might be. The demon tells him he will keep an ear open. The only thing I changed was possibly the time of year. I think Kagome is still in school, but I put her on break. I figured she needed a break from freaking out about missing so much school. And, I haven't been able to figure this out yet, but I am assuming the Inu group still has the 7 or so shards that Inu Yasha got from Bankotsu, the leader of the Shichinintai.

Also, I will mainly use the English translations just to stay consistent with the language issues in the story. The only time I might use Japanese is when Sango addresses Miroku as Hoshi-sama (I'm not sure how I would translate that correctly into English), or some of the attacks 'cause I don't really like the way they are translated. So for those who like Japanese strewn through out the story, sorry, but I try not to do that. I don't speak Japanese, so I am not going to pretend to. Okay, I think that sums up the current story and author preferences, and if you read this whole thing I applaud you.

Now on with the show.

Chapter One: The Adventure Begins

Julia absent-mindedly played with her pendant as she stared out the window of the airplane. _This is it_ she thought. She'd finally graduated, received her BA in International Relations, and now she had the job that she had always wanted. In just 12 hours she would be starting her life in Japan, and then a month later she would be the liaison between her office in the States and their counterpart in Japan. Although working as a translator for the Americans coming in to do business was not exactly the job she had wanted, the traveling involved had drawn her to that profession.

Closing her hand around her pendant, Julia smiled as she thought of all the wonderful things she would be able to experience in this position. Her company was even giving her this month to get adjusted to her surroundings and to learn the lay of the land. Her smile turned inward as she thought of something her mother had told her long ago…

*******************

"Keep this with you always." smiled her mother as she placed the crystal shard around her young daughter's neck. "It will bring you luck."

"What is it, Mom?" she asked going cross-eyed trying to look at the small crystal now hanging around her neck.

"According to your great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother it is a piece of a star." She stared wide eyed at her mom. "That's right; according to her it fell from the sky and continued to glow for many days afterwards."

"Wow," Julia had breathed out, still in awe of the beautiful treasure her mom had just given to her.

"Ah, my sweet Julia," her mom cooed as she hugged her small daughter. "I hope it always brings you happiness."

********************

_I think it's working, Mom._ Julia thought to herself, a small tear slipping from the corner of her eye as she recalled her mother. It wasn't long after that that her mother had passed away. She and her dad had muddled through somehow, but as time passed they had drifted apart. He had remarried and spent most of his time with his new family, so as Julia got older the two rarely spoke aside from the occasional card or gift. Only the thought of traveling and making her dreams come true kept her going through school towards her degree. She knew that was what her mother would have wanted for her, and now it was happening. Life could not have been better.

The apartment that she had rented was in downtown Tokyo, and only a train ride away from her work place. She spent the first two days getting used to the transportation system and navigating her way from the station to her office. After checking with her boss and finally getting completely unpacked Julia found herself wandering through her community checking out her neighbors. Mostly there were more apartment buildings, but there were also small housing developments. As she walked over a rise she could see a large set of stairs that seemed to go on forever. When she approached she found a sign posted to a wall beside the steps that read "Higurashi Temple."

_I wonder what this could be?_ she thought, and decided to begin the climb to the top of the steps. As she did so, she noticed that her pendant was starting to feel slightly warm against the skin of her neck. Pausing, Julia pulled it out from under her shirt to discover that the crystal seemed to be glowing slightly. Unsure of what to think of this strange occurrence, Julia began backing down the steps, but noticed as she did so that the crystal's light began to fade. _This thing must be connected with this temple somehow._ she thought. With her sense of adventure getting the better of her, Julia continued up the steps. Once she reached the top the crystal began to glow even brighter. Julia held it out like a compass, and began to search the grounds for the place that seemed to make her pendant glow the brightest.

The grounds she had walked up to seemed well kept, and in fact there appeared to be a residence not too far away from the top of the steps. A huge tree, with some sort of ceremonial rope tied around its trunk, was the most prominent object in the landscape. _That must be one old tree._ Julia mused to herself as she looked the gigantic tree up and down. An old storehouse was also on the property, looking like it had seen better days. It almost looked like it had been repaired from fire damage, though Julia couldn't think of why the owners would have bothered. It didn't look like the new structure would last very long, anyway. As she turned Julia sighted another building but, unlike the storehouse, this one had a sign posted outside of it.

Upon reaching the building Julia discovered that the sign read "Bone Eater's Well." Momentarily forgetting the pendant she held in her closed hand, Julia began to read the brief legend that surrounded the well.

It was during this reading that she heard voices coming from the direction of the steps. Unsure as to whether or not she should be poking around, she quickly stepped inside the well house. She'd only just closed the door when two figures started to appear over the top of the steps. Looking through the cracks in the wooden walls Julia could see that they appeared to be a mother and son, and as they approached she could hear pieces of their conversation.

"When do you think Kagome will get back, Mom?" asked the small boy.

"I'm not sure Souta," replied his mother in a very kind and patient voice, "it does seem like she is gone longer and longer every time she goes. I'm just grateful she's on summer holiday right now. I just don't know what Kagome would do if she missed any more school." She seemed to shake her head, but then started to laugh. "That and Grandpa seems to be running out of realistic diseases for her to have." Souta laughed with his mom as she continued to shake her head ruefully. "I do hope that she is doing alright. Kagome always takes so many medical supplies when she leaves."

"Ah, don't worry Mom, Inu Yasha is with her, he wouldn't let anything happen to her, he…" but they began to fade out of hearing distance and Julia lost the rest of the boy's statement. 'Inu Yasha,' what did that mean? She stood in the dark well house pondering the strange name as she waited for the coast to clear.

Deciding that she had waited long enough she raised her hand to open the door, but she stopped as she realized that the well house had suddenly become a whole lot lighter. Looking down, she was amazed at how much light was being emitted from her closed fist, and had to shield her eyes momentarily when she opened her fingers. _Now that's interesting_ she thought. _If it glowed like this when my ancestor found it, no wonder she thought it was a star!_ As Julia looked around she saw a rather beat-up looking wooden well in the center of the well-house, at the bottom of some old wooden stairs. _How on earth could this old well and my pendant be connected?_ Julia wondered as she walked down the stairs and peered over the edge of the well. Though stare as she might, Julia could not see the bottom of the well, so whether or not there really were bones of long dead monsters down there she could not tell. Turning around and leaning up against the well she continued to think on what this could mean. Clearly the stories that her ancestors had passed on about the stone glowing were true, but as for it being a piece of a falling star…well, Julia was still skeptical about that. But what could have caused the pendant's reaction?

Julia was suddenly brought out of her thoughts by a noise emanating from somewhere under the stairs. Figuring that she'd had enough adventure for one afternoon Julia began to move back towards the stairs only to be stopped by a pair of rather large eyes floating under the stairs. The light from her pendant reflected eerily off of those eyes, and Julia took a step back as she tried to figure out what was under there. As the eyes continued to glow, she decided that one step was not far enough and stepped back yet again. To Julia's dismay, this second step caused her to bump into the well and, before she could prevent it, she found herself plummeting to the bottom. _Oh, this is not good!_

And sitting on the lip of the well, watching Julia fall with great amusement, was none other than Buyo the Cat.

A/N: Okay, the chapters will be longer in the future. I am still getting the hang of how many pages give a decent read.

Reviews are appreciated. Let me know if I have piqued your interests.

Thanks. More coming soon.


	2. Introductions

Update: Chapter edit complete

Disclaimer: I do not own any character's from Inu Yasha as they are all currently in the possession of the very talented Rumiko Takahashi. Please don't sue me, I'm just having fun in their world.

A/N: Yay, Chapter Two's where we get to meet everyone…sort of….

-----------------------------------

Chapter Two: Introductions

Opening her eyes, Julia could see the walls of the well before her surprisingly well. _My crystal isn't glowing anymore…and the well house is really dark…why can I see the bottom? Come to think of it, there was an awful lot of light as I fell,_ Julia thought, _and why aren't both my legs broken?_ Shifting to one side so that she could stand up, Julia was suddenly met by an unpleasant surprise.

"Ouch," she yelped, "what was that?" Turning she saw what appeared to be a rib cage half buried in the ground. Looking around more carefully she noticed that there were actually quite a few remains strewn about the bottom of the well. "I guess they really did toss bones down here." Having had enough of the bottom of the well, she put her pendant back on and proceeded to look around for a way out only to quickly discover a perfectly positioned rope. "Okay…so I am not the only one who has been down here recently…" Julia mused as she proceeded to climb the rope, feeling all too much like she was back in gym class. "Why not a rope ladder or something…" she grumbled as she continued to climb, all the while noticing that it was getting much brighter before discovering that the light above her was actually emanating from a clear blue sky. Hanging from the lip of the well Julia looked around at her surroundings. The well was no longer encased in the dark old well-house. It was sitting out in the middle of a field surrounded by a lush green forest.

"What the hell just happened to me?"

-------------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru walked along at an easy pace, Rin running up ahead to pick flowers of all varieties only to come running back up to Sesshoumaru for approval at her finds. _Why does she do that?_ he silently wondered. _Humans are certainly an odd breed._ Meanwhile, Jaken trudged slowly behind him, holding Ah and Un's reins, mumbling something about stupid humans. The little toad-like demon would do anything for his Lord Sesshoumaru, but Jaken just could not fathom why it was his lord insisted on keeping this scrap of a human being around. It was a fact that Sesshoumaru found himself wondering about quite often as well.

Sesshoumaru could smell his half-brother closer towards the village that had been the whelp's home for the last fifty years. Sesshoumaru would never admit to needing help, but when the time had come for the Inu Family to defend their lands from those vile felines, Inu Yasha had been sealed to a tree by that damn priestess. Now a new threat - Naraku - was gaining power and threatening to take control of the very land that he, Sesshoumaru, protected, and that was _not_ acceptable. So now he, the great demon Lord Sesshoumaru, found himself seeking out his worthless half-brother to get any information Inu Yasha might have about Naraku's whereabouts. As much as he hated it, he could not find Naraku on his own, and he knew it had something to do with Naraku's most recent transformation. Ever since Naraku had emerged from Mount Hakurei he was somehow able to mask his presence much more efficiently than he had done in the past. Sesshoumaru knew that Inu Yasha and those humans that followed him had some recent dealings with Naraku…something about one of Naraku's new incarnations trapping that human girl his half-brother continued to fawn over. _A girl who,_ Sesshoumaru thought disdainfully _obviously had no proper upbringing, traipsing about in that odd garb of hers and smelling like no human ever has._

Thinking along these lines Sesshoumaru suddenly became aware of that peculiar smell. _What is she doing separated from Inu Yasha?_ Sesshoumaru stopped walking to ascertain what was going on. _Wait, no_… He could tell that the girl that traveled with Inu Yasha was indeed still with his half-brother, further towards the village. Curious about this new development, Sesshoumaru decided that he would have a look.

"Jaken, watch Rin." Without further ado, he appeared to vanish as he took off to discover who this other human could possibly be.

------------------------------------

"Let's go Kagome," cried the impatient half-demon as he tried to lead the way.

"Do you even know which way to go?" Kagome yelled after him, sure that he did not have a clue. Inu Yasha stopped in his tracks but did not turn around, only stood where he was tapping his foot. Laughter could be heard from behind Kagome.

"At least he seems to be in better spirits now," commented the demon hunter as she joined Kagome.

"You're right Sango, he does seem to be moving on," added Miroku as he took a place next to Sango, "or at least trying to forget." Kagome just nodded.

Inu Yasha had once again lost the one he had first loved and there was nothing he could do about it. Kaede had told Kagome that she no longer sensed Kikyo's soul, and Kaede had told Inu Yasha as much in the hopes of easing his pain. But Kagome knew that Inu Yasha had once again blamed himself. They had talked about it shortly after the Akago incident, when the child had tried to put Kagome under his control to get her to look for the Shikon shards. Inu Yasha had been so cute when he was swearing he would never let anything happen to her again, but as she had told him, if he ever had so much as a _hint_ that Kikyo was alive, Inu Yasha would run off to find her. Kagome knew that and accepted it, but that did not mean she had to be happy about it. _At least now he's acting like normal. _

"Come on guys, let's get going, we don't want him to throw a tantrum." said Kagome as she started towards him. "Shippou, Kirara come on," she called back. Shippou quickly said his good-byes to Kaede, she really was like a grandmother after all, and hopped on Kirara's back.

"You are so impatient, Inu Yasha," scolded Kagome as the group approached him. "It's not like we even know…." but she did not finish her sentence for something had caught her attention.

"Kagome, what is it?" asked Sango, concern in her voice.

"A shard," replied Kagome very quietly, but it got everyone's attention.

"Just one, is it Kohaku?" asked Sango, preparing to jump on Kirara's back.

"No," replied Kagome, seemingly staring off into space. "This one feels different. It doesn't have the same dark taint around it like the one Naraku uses to control Kohaku."

"Can you tell where it is coming from?" asked Inu Yasha, apparently anxious to be doing something. Kagome closed her eyes momentarily and then looked up with a start.

"The well, the jewel shard is at the well!" and all six began to run towards the well.

-----------------------------------------

Sitting on the rim of the well Julia stared in wonder at her surroundings. Nothing, not so much as a single block of cement, littered the ground. There were birds chirping somewhere off in the trees, but there were no car horns or alarms, no airplanes or traffic. In fact, there was nothing that was not completely natural in the entire area. "I think this is when I would say 'Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore'…well, if I had a dog I would." she joked to herself. "Well, what do I do now? And why am I talking to myself?" Smiling at her small dose of insanity, Julia looked around at the landscape once more. _Hmmm, that looks familiar_ she thought. Almost directly in front of her she could see the top of the giant tree that she'd noticed when she had first arrived at the temple. _I may as well head in that direction,_ she thought, _at least I know what is supposed to be there._

Julia had only walked about ten feet when she realized that she was no longer alone in the clearing. Standing off to her right, near the edge of the tree line, was a figure bathed in shadow. Startled momentarily, she backed up a step only to see the figure step forward, but while she stopped the figure continued coming towards her. Soon Julia could see that her visitor was a tall man dressed all in white, save for what looked like armor around his chest. His hair, well past his waist, was as snow white as his clothes, which drew her attention to his face as he approached. She could make out some sort of markings on his cheeks and forehead, but what really captured her attention were his eyes. His eyes seemed to be the color of amber, or fresh honey. Realizing she was staring, Julia gave her head a good shake to clear it and took another step back, an action which caused her visitor to stop his advance.

"Who are you?" she asked, but received no answer. Her visitor's face did not budge in the slightest from the almost bored expression it currently bore. "What do you want?" she tried again, but still he said nothing. "Wha-"

"SESSHOUMARU!" yelled a voice from behind her, cutting off her next question. The owner of the voice seemed to leap over her and landed just in front of her. The new-comer's appearance was just as strange as the person he had identified as Sesshoumaru, only he was dressed all in red. "What are you doing here?" _Japanese, they're speaking Japanese._ _Maybe that was why Sesshoumaru did not respond – I spoke in English_. _Wow, that was silly of me_.

Before Sesshoumaru could get an answer out the boy in red was flanked by three more people, two of which landed on a…giant flying cat? One of them appeared to be, well, a monk while the other two were girls - one wearing what Julia could only describe as a ninja outfit and the other a Japanese school girl's uniform. And what was that quivering ball of fluff at the school girl's feet? Standing there, wide-eyed, Julia knew she must look like a deer caught in some headlights. _Who are all these people, and what the hell is going on?!?!_

"I asked you a question," growled the boy in red. But Sesshoumaru, with the same unwavering expression, simply stared back at him. "Damn it, Sesshoumaru, if you want to play like that, fine!" the boy growled again, this time reaching for his sword.

"Inu Yasha, do not be rash." came a stoic warning voice from Sesshoumaru, "I have not come to fight you." _Inu__ Yasha? Was this the person that that boy and his mother were referring to? Then the girl in the uniform might be Kagome…_

"Then what are you doing here, and why were you chasing this woman?" snarled Inu Yasha, clearly not believing the other man.

"I merely came here to talk with you. The girl was here when I arrived." Sesshoumaru replied in the same bored tone as before. _Girl? Who does he think he's calling 'girl'?_ Julia was about to say something when she suddenly realized that everyone's eyes seemed to now be focused on her. _Uh oh._

"Uhhh, hi," she said in English before realizing her mistake. "I mean, hello." she corrected herself with a smile. _Now what?_

-----------------------------------------

Kagome quickly looked the new-comer over and realized that she must be from the modern era. As Sesshoumaru still did not know of her magical means of time travel, Kagome moved quickly to cover any clue as to the well's true nature.

"Ohhh." Kagome said loudly as she walked over to the strange girl, stretching her arms out wide. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming till later in the evening." She concluded by hugging the new-comer and whispering 'Just play along' in her ear.

"Uh…right, sorry about that but the trai-" Kagome squeezed the girl's hand, and gave her a 'NO' look. "My ride got me here sooner," she finished lamely. Kagome gave her hand a gentler squeeze and turned to face her comrades.

"Guys, you remember…the friend I was telling you about?" Kagome was met with four blank stares. "Coming to visit me from _my_ village?" She tried to emphasize the word 'my' as much as possible without drawing Sesshoumaru's attention to it. Thankfully, Sango was quick on the uptake and jumped to her rescue.

"Oh, right, that friend!" Sango replied, though with a little more enthusiasm than Kagome really wanted. The boys finally caught on and added their own greetings. Glancing at Sesshoumaru, Kagome could see that his expression had not changed in the slightest. While she knew he probably did not believe them, at least he still did not know about the well.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" asked Inu Yasha, apparently catching on to the delicate situation developing here. _Oh, thank you, Inu Yasha_ thought Kagome. Sesshoumaru took his attention away from the new girl and glanced slowly back at Inu Yasha, though he did not respond immediately. _Typical Sesshoumaru_ thought Kagome.

"You have had some recent dealings with Naraku." Sesshoumaru stated simply. "I want you to tell me what you know of his whereabouts." It was not a request - it was a command, and it was just the kind of thing to set Inu Yasha off.

"Naraku is mine!" spat out Inu Yasha, clearly not happy that his older half-brother was also tracking his prey. "So you can just be on your way and forget about him!"

"You have had your chance to finish him off, and you have failed." The finality in Sesshoumaru's voice was almost frightening. "You can stay here and play with your human woman, but you will leave Naraku, and the protection of the Western Lands, to me." That said, Sesshoumaru turned and began to leave the clearing, ignoring Inu Yasha's dumbstruck look.

"Sesshoumaru, don't you turn your back on me!" yelled Inu Yasha, but his half-brother kept walking at the same slow pace out of the clearing. "You just remember that I will be the one to destroy Naraku, SO DON'T GET IN MY WAY!" Inu Yasha shouted, clearly fighting the urge to draw his sword and charge Sesshoumaru. Instead he watched his half-brother go until he had completely left the clearing. Kagome knew that Inu Yasha still hated Sesshoumaru, and that there had been bad blood there even before she had shown up. But…she could not help but wonder what would happen if they actually tried to work with Sesshoumaru. The demon lord seemed...changed from the first time she had encountered him, no longer lusting after Tetsusaiga, adopting that little human girl she had seen with him, not killing Kohaku, all signs that Sesshoumaru was capable of showing some form of compassion. _If only Inu Yasha could see that_… Kagome sighed. Perhaps he would, someday, but for now they had other matters to attend to.

-----------------------------------------

Julia had watched the whole encounter as if she were watching some kind of TV show, it all seemed so fanciful. Clearly those two did not get along, but seemed related in some way, and it was not just their hair. And why would Sesshoumaru specify Kagome as a 'human woman?' It was only after that that she took note of the white fluffy dog ears that adorned Inu Yasha's head, and noticed that the ball of fluff that had been at Kagome's feet was actually a small child with a tail and feet that resembled some kind of canine. And then there was that…cat? _Nope, definitely not Kansas.___

"So, somebody want to tell me what is going on? And where I am?" Julia asked when she realized that all the attention was now back on her. Everyone but Kagome looked at her like she was something not human herself.

"You're American, aren't you?" asked Kagome.

"Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with anything." replied Julia, wanting to get to what the hell was going on.

"Your Japanese is excellent, you can hardly hear your accent," she continued on as if they were chatting over coffee. "I believe that is why my friends are a little unnerved by you. In this time there were no foreigners." Julia gave Kagome the most puzzled look that she could muster. "Why don't we have a seat?" Kagome motioned to the ground and sat in a kneeling position. Julia followed, but chose to sit Indian-style. The others knelt as well, with obvious interest and some caution showing on their features. Inu Yasha, unlike the others, chose to stand a protective distance behind Kagome.

Kagome proceeded to tell Julia about how she had been pulled down the well, about the Jewel of Four Souls, about splitting it, and about their quest to recover the shards. She told Julia of how Naraku had in his possession the almost completed jewel, his control over Sango's brother, and his newest transformation. Julia sat quietly throughout, listening to Kagome tell her story, and if she had not been sitting in a clearing that had once been a stone court yard, looking at the very people Kagome was talking about, she would have thought Kagome was suffering from a very overactive imagination.

"So, if you and Inu Yasha are the only ones that have been able to travel through the well, how did I fall through?" she asked once Kagome had finished her tale.

"You're wearing a pendant right now, aren't you?" asked Kagome.

"Yes," Julia replied, pulling the pendant out from under her shirt, "how did you know that?"

"It is a piece of the Jewel of Four Souls." Kagome replied, pulling out a jar that contained several shards resembling Julia's pendant. "That was how I knew you were here. I sensed its presence when you came out of the well." Julia stared at Kagome, not really sure what to say. "How did you get that shard?" Julia told her the story that her mother had told her when she was child.

"So, you think that when the jewel shattered this piece landed near my ancestor's home?" Kagome nodded. "Does that mean that the reasons my dreams have been coming true is because I have had this stone?"

"I'm not sure." replied Kagome honestly. "The whole jewel will grant a wish, but the shards just seem to increase the power of whoever possesses it."

"It is possible that, since Lady Julia did not wish for anything of a selfish nature, that the shard merely helped her," added Miroku, who had somehow managed to inch closer to Julia as the girls had spoken. "And that could also be the reason that it has not been corrupted as so many of the ones we have found have been." Miroku then took Julia's hand and looked deeply into her eyes. "You must truly possess a pure heart, my lady. Would you be willing to bear my child?" Julia thought he was joking, but seeing the intense look in the monk's eyes, the rapidly reddening face of Sango, and the disbelieving looks the others were giving him, she realized this must not have been the first time the monk had made this kind of proposition.

"You're sweet, but too young for me." she replied honestly. He could not be more that eighteen after all.

"But-" he tried to continue, but at that point the tip of a rather large boomerang came crashing down on his head.

"Sorry about that," Sango apologized as she dragged the now unconscious monk to a safer distance. _Okay, so there is definitely something going on between those two _thought Julia.

"Aside from Miroku's question," continued Kagome, "I believe he may be right. The shard could find no evil in you to corrupt, so it remained pure." Julia blushed. While she was definitely law-abiding, she had never considered herself pure hearted.

"I see." Julia said rather softly. "So, if you guys are searching for these shards, and Naraku has most of them, and the guy that was here earlier wants to kill him, why aren't you and that guy working together against Naraku?" Julia asked, trying to get the subject away from her supposedly pure heart.

"Oh, well, you see-"

"That is none of your business, so why don't you just hand over the jewel shard and go home?" interrupted Inu Yasha.

"Inu Yasha!" Kagome almost sounded like she was scolding him.

"No," Julia quickly spoke up. The two looked like they were going to launch into quite an argument. "He's right, this really isn't any of my business. I just happened to stumble into all of this." She smiled at seeing the others' puzzled faces. "I'll tell you what, I will give you the shard, as it obviously belongs to you - but - in return, as I am giving up a family heirloom, would you let me travel around with you for a week or so?"

"NO." "Yes." replied Inu Yasha and Kagome in tandem, and then proceeded to glare daggers at each other.

"Are they always like that?" Julia whispered to Sango, putting a hand up to hide her mouth.

"Yes," replied Sango imitating her gesture.

"I heard that!" yelled Inu Yasha as he turned towards her. "Look, this isn't some kind of pleasure trip. There are demons out there that want to kill us! You really want to be a part of that?" he asked and then turned to Kagome. "Do you really want to put her in that kind of danger?" Kagome, who had stood up to argue with Inu Yasha, looked down at her feet and then up at Julia.

"No," she replied. "Inu Yasha is right, it will be dangerous." Julia took that moment to stand so that she could face Inu Yasha, who only happened to be an inch or two taller.

"Look, I wouldn't expect this to be some kind of weekend camping trip. I start work in about a month, and I would love to have a little adventure before I actually start my sure-to-become routine life." Inu Yasha stared at her. "Besides, it is not like I'm defenseless. I can hold my own in a fight." She did a mock fighting stance to emphasize her point. Inu Yasha still did not look amused, but Julia could swear she saw Sango and Miroku hiding smirks, and Kagome was flat-out smiling.

"Miroku, Sango, talk some sense into her!" Inu Yasha pleaded with his companions.

"While I agree that it is not safe," answered Miroku. "I believe that we do owe the lady a favor for parting with her treasure."

"That is true." continued Sango. "It would not be right for us to take the shard and give nothing in return."

"Arrrrg, fine, but if you get eaten, I'm _not_ taking any responsibility." Inu Yasha said, pointing a warning finger at her. Then he turned and crossed his arms in a huff.

"Ah, thank you Inu Yasha," cried Kagome as she hugged him.

"Yeah, yeah," he said shaking both her and a blush off, "let's get going back to the village. It is too late to get started today, anyway." That said, he started back in the direction from which his party had originally entered the clearing.

"Come, Lady Julia, I am sure that Kaede would love to meet you." said Miroku as he attempted to placed a leading arm around her shoulders. However, Sango and Kagome were faster and grabbed Julia's arms, leaving Miroku grasping empty space.

"Yes, I am sure Kaede would love to meet you." Sango added, shooting a nasty glare back at Miroku. _Those two are just as bad as Kagome and Inu Yasha _thought Julia_. Was I ever that bad as a teenager?_ Then she was literally yanked out of her thoughts by a tug at her hair.

"Ow," she squeaked touching the spot on her head that had been violated. Looking over at Kagome's shoulders she could see Shippou hiding under Kagome's hair.

"Shippou, why did you do that?" scolded Kagome, grabbing the small fox child from her neck and holding him out in front of her.

"I just wanted to see if it was real." he replied rather sheepishly, glancing at Julia's hair. "I've never seen a human with that color of hair before."

"It is quite real." answered Julia in an amused voice. "You see, Shippou, this world is very big, and there are other lands where many different kinds of people live. And in our time," Julia gestured to Kagome and herself, "all of these people are more or less friends and travel all over the world. That is why I learned to speak your language."

"So there are more people that look like you?" Shippou asked, wide-eyed.

"Well, not exactly like me," she answered with a chuckle, "but very similar."

"Where exactly do you come from?" asked Miroku who had suddenly popped up behind her.

"Let me show you." Julia replied, pulling the small backpack off of her shoulders. "Now where is it," she mumbled while digging through the pack's contents. Shippou immediately jumped back up on Kagome's shoulders to try and peer inside Julia's pack. "Ah, here it is," she called, triumphantly pulling out a map of Tokyo and flipping it open. "Oh good, it does have a globe on it. See this," she pointed to a picture of the earth split up into many small circles to accommodate a flat map, "this is Japan, and if you can imagine all of these circles put together to look like a ball, my homeland is here on the other side." Julia indicated a spot on the east coast of America.

"May I?" asked Miroku, putting his hand out towards the map.

"Sure, knock yourself out." replied Julia, handing it to him. He then slowed his pace to look at the map, and Sango dropped back with him. They put their heads together to peer at something that must seem very strange to them. _They really do look cute together_ Julia thought.

"I tried to convince Inu Yasha once that people had traveled to the moon, but he wouldn't believe it." Kagome said, bringing Julia's attention back to the girl walking next to her…and to the sudden extra weight in her arms. Looking down, Julia saw a big bushy tail sticking out of her pack. Reaching down, she gently pulled out a very excited Shippou playing with her cell phone. "Find anything interesting?" she asked with a smile.

"Shippou," scolded Kagome yet again.

"It's alright." assured Julia, simply amused by the little fox as she placed him back on top of her pack.

"So, why do you want to stay with us for a while?" asked Kagome.

"Well…" Julia thought a moment before continuing. "I guess it's just that I've always wanted to have a little adventure. Travel to some remote location, you know, go on a safari or something. But I've spent the first part of my life finishing school, and now I have a great job lined up, but somehow I didn't really leave any time for the adventure. Does that make any sense?"

"I guess so." replied Kagome. "Though I would love to go back to being a normal teenager again, I know I would miss everyone here," she smiled "and you are right, it is definitely an adventure."

-----------------------------------------

"What have you heard?" asked Naraku as he stood on the embankment overlooking the demon of great hearing's swamp.

"Ah Naraku, that was a very swift reply indeed." croaked out the old demon as he rose from the swamp, muck oozing off of him. "You are indeed anxious for the jewel to be completed."

"I do not have time for this." Naraku growled threateningly. "You summoned me here, so you must have the information I requested. Now tell me what you have heard!"

"Very well, very well," soothed the old demon, "you are correct. I have heard that the shard you seek has finally emerged. A young woman from far away has appeared with it, and she is currently traveling in the company of Inu Yasha."

"So, Inu Yasha has collected the last piece." Naraku mused.

"Not yet." responded the demon. "The woman still carries it, but she will soon go to the village, and she will undoubtedly hand it over then."

"Hmm," smiled Naraku evilly, "you have been most useful, and so I will allow you to live." _That shard will be mine_ thought Naraku as he disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

-----------------------------------------

A/N: Hope you are liking it so far. Please read and review, more will come regardless, but I'd still appreciate the reviews.


	3. Strange Occurences

Update: Chapter Edit complete

Disclaimer: Except for Julia, none of the characters are mine.

A/N: Yeah the title kind of sums this one up too……

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Three: Strange Occurrences

"Julia, do you have to go to school and take tests like Kagome does?" asked Shippou, still perched on Kagome's shoulder.

"No," Julia replied with a smile. "I've already fini…Kagome? What's wrong?" she asked, suddenly noticing the younger girl's face going very white.

"He's coming," she breathed and spun around. And, with some unspoken signal, the others turned and readied themselves for who ever "he" was. Sango pulled her enormous boomerang off her back, Miroku stood ready with his staff and talismans, Kirara transformed into her larger form, and Inu Yasha came bounding over them to stand at the front lines. "Julia, just stay behind us." Kagome warned as she joined her companions, drawing her bow and notching an arrow as she went.

Julia found herself wondering what was going on, and holding a small ball of fuzz that was shaking with fear, when an enormous purple cloud descended into the clearing they had just left. Out of the smoke came a man wearing armor that looked to be made of bone, and who had several strange attachments coming out of his back.

"Shippou, who-" she started to ask, but Shippou did not let her finish the question.

"Naraku." he replied with a trembling voice. A silent 'oh' escaped Julia's lips as she watched Inu Yasha run in first to try and land a blow on their arch-nemesis, and in that instant all hell seemed to break loose.

Naraku threw Inu Yasha back with one of his back-attachments, which Julia now recognized as arms. Sango let her boomerang loose, yelling something about a flying bone, only to find it repelled by some kind of bubble that Naraku had erected around himself. _That must be the barrier everyone told me about._ Kagome and Miroku let their arrow and talismans fly, creating a blinding light, but it seemed to do little to harm Naraku. Sango took to the air on Kirara, boomerang in hand, apparently trying to get a better shot at Naraku. Julia was so transfixed by the battle raging in front of her that she didn't realize someone had come up behind her until it was too late.

Suddenly gripped around the neck, Julia's arms flew up to repel her unknown attacker. Though dropped in the process, Shippou quickly recovered and turned to face her.

"Kagura!" he shouted, as he tried to help Julia by jumping upon and biting the demon that now easily kept Julia in a strangle-hold. Kagura blocked Shippou and tossed him back to the ground, where he managed to rise once more.

"Shippou," Julia choked out. "Run!" But the little fox did not run. He jumped back at Kagura and yelled "Fox Fire!" causing a blue flame to shoot towards them.

"You think your little trick will work on me?" Julia heard a feminine voice say behind her. A gust of wind diverted the fire and knocked Shippou once more to the ground. As Julia looked at Shippou's still form in horror, she heard the feminine voice directed at her. "Now, you are coming with me."

"Kago-" Julia tried to yell, but Kagura covered her mouth before she could finish. Then with another gust of wind a giant feather appeared before them, onto which Kagura stepped, dragging Julia with her. The human tried to struggle free but the demon's strength was too much for her.

"I'm not sure why he wants you too." stated Kagura as the feather lifted off the ground. _Wants me, too?_ thought Julia, still struggling with her captor. _Well, if he wants me, I'm sure as hell not going to make it easy for this chick!_ She continued to struggle as much as possible, causing the fast flying feather to sway violently.

---------------------------------------

Kagome had started to realize that Naraku was only playing with them when he merely kept repelling their attacks instead of attacking them in return. It was then that she sensed a shard growing farther away and turned to see a knocked-out Shippou and a missing Julia. _Oh, no_ she thought.

"Inu Yasha!" she yelled. "Julia!" Kagome pointed behind herself. Inu Yasha stopped in mid-attack and landed on the ground at a safe distance from Naraku to see what Kagome was pointing at. Kagome could see the look of understanding on his face before he turned back to face a now-smiling Naraku.

"Ah, Inu Yasha." he said smoothly. "Thanks for the game, but my business here is complete." Naraku continued and began to transform into his usual cloud of smoke. "I'd warn your wolf friend the end is near if I was you." With that, Naraku completely disappeared and left the clearing.

"What happened?" Sango asked as she and Kirara landed next to Miroku.

"Naraku was acting as a distraction while someone else made off with Lady Julia." replied Miroku, who walked over to join Kagome where Shippou had fallen.

"Shippou." Kagome called gently, trying to wake the small demon as she cradled him in her arms. "Shippou." She shook him gently and noted that he started to come around. "Shippou!" she called one last time as he slowly opened his eyes and then suddenly jumped out of her arms.

"Kagome, quick!" he shouted, "Kagura took Julia, I tried to stop her but she was too powerful."

"Kagura." repeated Inu Yasha. "That wind demon probably has her miles from here by now. You guys catch up, I'm going on ahead."

"Wait," called Kagome, her voice stopping Inu Yasha from taking one of his flight imitating leaps. "The shard, I can still sense it! She's not that far from here." She then noticed Inu Yasha's face scrunching up as he smelled in the direction she was pointing at, and a small growl escaped his lips.

"What is it?" she asked, but knew she would get no answer.

"Come on," he growled out, "we need to hurry."

---------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru walked calmly away from Inu Yasha and his half-brother's human friends, ignoring Inu Yasha's infuriated yells. No more could be learned from them at this time, but the appearance of that girl was definitely _not_ expected. He had heard his half-brother's woman whisper to her 'to play along.' Did she honestly believe that he could not hear her? However, why that girl felt the need to cover for the new-comer was eluding him. Certainly they had similar qualities. Their scents, while very close, were distinctly different once they were side by side. Their clothes had a similar make to them, but beyond that the two could not be from the same village. The new-comer had spoken a strange language to him when he had first appeared, and if Inu Yasha had not shown up at that point he would have gotten to the bottom of _that. Damn that half-breed Sesshoumaru_ thought, somewhat disgruntled. And when she had spoken Japanese, her accent was most strange. True, Inu Yasha's woman also had an accent, but it was barely noticeable. _Japanese is _obviously _not that girl's first language. She could _not_ have been raised with it!_ To top things off, her appearance was like no human he had ever encountered. Light skin, golden hair, green eyes…_I've never even _heard _of a human with that coloring!_ The differences between the two girls could only mean that the new girl knew something that Inu Yasha's woman did not want said. Not to mention that he could see it in their body language when they had spoken. _But what did she know that Inu Yasha's woman did not want shared?_

He hated that, hated not knowing. Perhaps that was another reason why he wished to vanquish Naraku. The half-demon was an unknown that Sesshoumaru had been unable to predict, and that was dangerous even to him. As much as he hated to admit it, even if it was just to himself, Sesshoumaru knew that Naraku was becoming quite a threat.

Sesshoumaru had almost reached his own traveling companions when he sensed that particular threat coming from the clearing he had just recently vacated. _Naraku__ Here, now?_ He turned and started back towards the clearing. This was definitely not a puppet as Naraku would usually send to do his dirty work. _Why would he emerge now? Is he strong enough that he believes he no longer needs his subterfuge and deceptions?_ Sesshoumaru could feel the energy being thrown about as his brother and companions began the battle. He knew with a certainty that they would fail. What could a half-demon and some humans do against Naraku, something that was no longer human or demon, a complete monster?

He stopped just short of reaching the clearing, sniffing. _Kagura_ So she was here as well, but she was not fighting. _What could she be…?_ His thought was interrupted as the answer to his question flew over his head. Kagura sped off on one of her feathers, but she was not alone. In her grasp was the very girl that had drawn him to this clearing, struggling to get free of the wind demoness. _Why would Naraku want her?_ It did not matter, since Naraku wanted her it could only mean that she would somehow make him stronger and _that_ could not be allowed. Leaping into the air, Sesshoumaru closed in and overtook the feather causing Kagura to abruptly halt.

"Sesshoumaru," she hissed, "why do you interfere?" He could tell that, while she was trying to be calm about the situation, she was clearly agitated by his presence. The girl had stopped struggling upon his arrival and was now only staring wide-eyed at him.

"You will hand the girl over to me." he replied. If it was possible the girl's eyes seemed to grow even larger.

"This girl is Naraku's. I cannot give her to you." responded Kagura more calmly.

"Then I will have to take her from you." he said in as deadly a voice as possible. Kagura seemed to weigh her options, searching Sesshoumaru's face for some kind of answer.

"Fine," she replied, releasing her hold on the girl, "you can have her, but this is coming with me." She then reached for something hanging around the girl's neck. _A sacred jewel shard.__ Let Kagura have it_ he thought. _I care not about the Jewel of Four Souls._ But, as Kagura closed her hand around it, the jewel let off a bright blue light that caused Kagura to quickly pull her hand back as if in pain. "You wretched human!" she shrieked and pushed the girl, causing her to fall over the edge of the feather, before speeding off.

Sesshoumaru only sighed and quickly descended to retrieve the girl, starting to regret his decision to even get involved. _This could definitely be more trouble than it is worth_ he thought. In an instant he was below the girl and catching her with his remaining arm. _Damn you, Inu Yasha_ he silently cursed, pulling the girl close to him as he continued their descent to the ground at a much slower pace. Glancing down, he noticed that she was staring up at him with the same wide eyes she'd had when he'd stopped Kagura. _Those eyes…they should not belong to any human_ he thought off-handedly. Yet, as wide as they were, he did not sense any fear in her. Excitement, yes, and perhaps some uncertainty, but no fear. _Who is this girl, and why would Naraku want her?_

---------------------------------------

Julia had continued to struggle against Kagura, but she knew that the demon possessed more strength than she could ever overcome. She was convinced she was going to be taken prisoner and put somewhere highly unpleasant when their ride had come to an abrupt halt. Looking out at the road block, Julia had been surprised to see the mystery man from earlier. He had not only stopped Kagura, but demanded that Julia be turned over to him. _I can only imagine how buggy my eyes looked…_ By what little she had seen of Sesshoumaru's interaction with Inu Yasha, and the lack of information that the group was willing to give to her about him, Julia had assumed that he must not be one of the 'good guys.'

Julia's shock had continued as Kagura was repelled by her keep-sake and she was pushed over the edge of the feather - only to be rescued moments later and trapped in a strong embrace as they then floated gently down to the ground. _Wow, this is like some odd fairy tale_ she thought as their feet touched the ground. He released her then, and she took a step back from him.

"Thank you." Her voice was smaller than she would have liked it to be, but she was still breathing rather deeply from her recent adventure. He merely stared at her. _Okay, apparently we are back to the not-speaking thing again. I did say 'thank you' in Japanese, didn't I?_ "Okay…well, thank you again, and if you would be so kind as to point me in the direction of my friends I'll be on my way." If he was not going to speak, she decided, it would be best to leave. Besides, even with that handsome of a face, his cold stare was starting to creep her out.

"What does Naraku want with you?" he suddenly asked with absolutely no emotion in his voice. _Well, at least he is talking _she thought.

"I have no idea." she replied honestly. "Before today I didn't even know that Naraku existed." She could tell that he was weighing what she was saying. _He's probably trying to decide if I'm telling the truth._ She reached up to her throat to attempt an off-handed check of her jewel shard. _Good, it's still there…but what made it hurt Kagura?_ "Look, thanks again, but I really should get back to the others. I am sure they are worried." That said, she started to walk past him when she was caught by a strong hand.

"I am not done with you yet." His tone had changed, but only marginally. Was that a hint of annoyance she detected?

"Look, I'm sorry you feel that way, but I have to go." she replied, attempting to shake off his grip and having no luck. "Would you mind letting me go?" she asked, still trying to pull his hand off of her arm. _What is _with_ this guy?_

---------------------------------------

This girl was not the least bit scared of him. Did she not know who he was? She would presume to walk away when he had not given her leave to, and now she wished to give him orders.

Not to mention the fact that she had not told him the entire truth.

"I will let you go when I am ready, girl, now you…"

"GIRL?!" She had interrupted him. Him, Lord Sesshoumaru! Nobody interrupted him! "Look, I am _not_ some kid you can boss around, I…"

"I will call you whatever I wish." he stated, interrupting her tirade and pulling her back in front of him so that he did not have to stretch to maintain his hold on her left arm with his right. She seemed startled by his quick actions, but he still could not sense any fear in her. She was, however, definitely angry. "Now you _will_ tell me the truth." He stared directly into her eyes, hoping to cause some discomfort. "_All_ of it."

Sadly, this was not to be the case. Sesshoumaru suddenly found himself in a position he had never thought possible. The girl grabbed him by the upper half of his arm, spun, surprising him enough that he loosened his grip on her arm and found himself promptly flipped over onto his back. As he lay there in shock he could hear her take off running. _Oh, that girl is going to _pay

---------------------------------------

_That'll teach him_ she thought as she ran wildly through the forest. _Imagine, the nerve of that guy, thinking he could boss me around like that! Sure, he saved my life, but that does NOT give him the right to treat me like that! Besides, I did tell him the truth about not knowing who Naraku was. Damn it, I don't _know_ how much I'm supposed to know, and how much I'm not! _Kagome had filled her in on almost everything, but Julia had no idea how much of that Sesshoumaru was supposed to know, and she still had no clue as to what part he played in all of this. _Man, I hate being left in the dark._

Taking the chance to look back, she was relieved to see that she was not being followed only to run into something very solid a moment later, the force knocking her completely down. "That would be just like me to run into a tree," she mumbled as she sat up rubbing her backside.

"So now I am a tree." stated a very angry voice, as a hand reached down to forcibly drag her up. _Oh crap_ she thought as she looked into the face of a very angry Sesshoumaru. _Well, at least I know he is capable of showing emotion._

"You will pay for your impertinence. I, Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Lands, is not to be talked back to, walked out on, or thrown about like a _doll._" He growled then, much like Inu Yasha had. "_Especially_ not by a human woman like _you_." Oh yeah, he was definitely mad. _My, my, throwing about titles now, sounding all important…_

"Hold on a sec" Julia asked, suddenly tuning into the important part of his little outburst. "What's a 'Lord of the Western Lands'?" The shocked expression on his face told her that she may have just asked the wrong question. Then his eyes narrowed, and he released the grip he had on her arm. _Damn, I think I'm going to have a bruise there in the morning…_ She could feel how tender it already was as she rubbed it. She noticed that he had closed his eyes and was taking a couple of deep breaths. Upon opening his eyes, she was once again treated to the stoic mask he'd worn when they'd first met.

"You are either a simpleton," he stated, "and as such should be pitied, not punished. Or," he paused and looked directly into her eyes. _Geez__, that is really intense._ "you really do not have any idea who I am, and that intrigues me." The cold tones he used almost chilled her bones. _Whoa, this guy could _definitely_ be trouble._ "You _will_ tell me where you are from and how you were able to command that shard to repel Kagura, but not right now." He stepped back a pace. "My idiot half-brother and his companions approach, and one meeting with them today is _more_ than enough." That said he suddenly disappeared in a bright blue ball of light.

_'Idiot half-brother,' who was he talking about?_ As if in answer to her question, Inu Yasha came flying into the section of the woods where she now stood closely followed by the rest of the group.

"You're his brother," she blurted out without thinking. Inu Yasha stopped dead in his tracks.

"Where is he?" he questioned, ignoring her statement. "I know he was here, what happened?" Kagome put a calming hand on his shoulder and explained.

"Sesshoumaru is Inu Yasha's older half-brother. He is a full demon while Inu Yasha had a human mother." Kagome paused and gave Inu Yasha's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Sesshoumaru is not…overly happy about that."

"Oh." Julia replied. "That would explain his behavior after he rescued me. I got the feeling he was not too fond of humans."

"Whoa," interjected Sango, "_Sesshoumaru_ rescued you from Kagura?" Julia nodded and proceeded to tell them about what had happened, minus flipping Sesshoumaru. _I can just see _that_ one getting thrown in his face the second he and Inu Yasha got into another argument_…

"And, Kagome." she paused at this point, not really sure how to explain. "When Kagura tried to take my pendant from me it was as if…as if it shocked her somehow."

---------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru was furious. He'd went out of his way to rescue that human and she had had the audacity to treat him like that. _Why did I even bother saving her, anyway? She was just a human! Because…because Naraku wanted her_ he reminded himself. He knew about the shard she possessed, as he had seen Kagura try to lift it from her neck, but that did not explain why Naraku had given orders for the girl to be captured. Kagura could have just killed her and removed the shard from her corpse, so why? Perhaps the capture was due to the girl being protected by the shard…which was strange enough by itself. _Naraku__ must be planning something, but what?_

As Sesshoumaru entered the clearing where he had left his servant and ward earlier - much earlier - that day, he heard a shill cry. He inwardly winced but made no outward show of his discomfort.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" squealed the little girl with delight, hugging his leg. He endured it, but did not respond. He wished she would not do that, her outward displays of emotion made him most uncomfortable. He simply did not understand the human need to show weakness like this. _After all, what could it be _but_ a weakness?_

"Rin," shrieked Jaken, "do not cling to Lord Sesshoumaru! You'll get your wretched human stench all ov…," Jaken stopped and started sniffing his lord in earnest, causing his large round eyes to flare open in surprise. "My lord, why do you smell so strongly of human? What has happened to you?" cried Jaken, who then promptly covered his mouth and scooted back as he obviously realized that he had overstepped his bounds. Sesshoumaru merely glared at him. He did not need to tell his servant what had transpired. He was Sesshoumaru, and Sesshoumaru answered to no one.

"Jaken."

"Yes, my Lord?" the little toad immediately hopped to, apparently trying to regain some favor.

"Find something for Rin to eat and make camp," he commanded.

"We are not returning to the castle, my lord?" questioned Jaken. Sesshoumaru only eyed him again, but this time with more venom. _Now even my servant is questioning me!_ Jaken sprung into action, but Sesshoumaru did not miss the disgruntled complaints as Jaken began his search.

"Rin."

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru?" she replied in her normal happy tone, staring straight up at him with a look of utter devotion.

"Get your parchment and ink and review your lessons." The little girl immediately ran over to Ah-Un's saddlebags to find the requested items. As soon as she did she promptly sat down, arranged her materials, and began to work.

Sesshoumaru watched the little girl with amazement. That was the kind of respect he expected. His orders were not questioned, merely obeyed immediately. That was how it had always been - he was right and everyone else was not.

But that _girl_ did not know this, and even after he had saved her life she had treated him no better than a common human male - perhaps even less. He had never observed any human male allowing their female to talk back to them. She did not even appear to realize that she was doing something wrong! There was no shame, no blush, only that infernal stubbornness and will.

No, they were not going back to the castle, not yet. He would get to the bottom of who this girl was and why Naraku wanted her. Naraku had appeared today and, wherever that girl went, Naraku was likely to appear again. So he would shadow Inu Yasha's little group and, if he could, he would question that girl again. She would tell him what he wanted to know. No one denied Sesshoumaru anything!

---------------------------------------

Kagome sat in front of the small cooking fire in Kaede's hut, thinking over the day's events. Kaede sat opposite her, working on preparing some medicinal herbs for their journey. Inu Yasha was probably hiding on the roof somewhere. Miroku had offered to take Julia on a tour of the village, and while Sango had gone on the pretense of protecting Julia from Miroku, but Kagome knew that she was jealous. Those two were quite the pair. Shippou and Kirara had joined them - Kirara because of Sango, and Shippou because they were the most interesting thing happening. He was, after all, just a kid, and loved being entertained. Kagome could tell that Julia understood Miroku's games and had continued to shoot him down to avoid raising Sango's ire. She really was a very interesting woman.

After Julia had explained what the shard had done to Kagura they'd decided to try a few experiments. First, Inu Yasha had tried to remove the shard only to receive a shock as soon as he touched it. Miroku had offered to try as well, but after clearly reaching a bit lower than necessary Sango had punch him in the head and tried it herself. She, too, was similarly shocked. Miroku then theorized that since it had been with Julia all her life as sort of a good luck charm it had somehow become, quite literally, bound to her. He figured the only way for it to be taken would be if Julia gave it freely to someone.

Inu Yasha had tried to use the opportunity to send her back, but Julia had seemed more adamant about staying now than she had been before. She figured the shard would be safest with her since nobody could take it from her. Inu Yasha made some comment about taking it off of her corpse only to have Miroku tell him that it would probably never leave her even in death. So, after a little more arguing, Inu Yasha had conceded to let her stay.

What Kagome was more worried about was why Naraku would have had Kagura take Julia in the first place. He couldn't have known of the spell on the shard, and Shippou said that Kagura had just tried to take her before attempting to get the shard. Then Sesshoumaru coming to Julia's rescue, well, that part had really baffled her. Perhaps that little girl he was now taking care of was having some sort of effect on him. Sighing, Kagome decided she needed some air.

"Excuse me, Kaede," she said as she stood and exited the hut. Outside, the others were nowhere to be seen, but she could sense Inu Yasha on the roof above her. It was something that she had begun to notice that she could do. She could feel when he was near her almost like detecting a jewel shard. "Inu Yasha," she called softly, knowing his cute dog ears would pick up on her voice. A moment later he alighted in front of her.

"What do you want?" he asked rather testily. Kagome ignored the attitude, she knew he was still upset about Julia staying, and she also knew that it was out of worry.

"Why do you think Naraku wanted Julia?" she asked as she walked away from the hut, Inu Yasha falling in beside her.

"You're wondering, too?" Inu Yasha always managed to surprise her. He acted like a macho tough guy all the time, but he really did think things through. _Well, some things anyway._ "I'm not sure why, but that is more reason to send her back to your time." Kagome turned to him and could see the genuine concern in his eyes. It only added to the growing list of reasons for why she loved him.

"I know," she began but paused as she looked out from the vantage point of the cliff overlooking the valley. It was her favorite place to come to when they were in the village. The view was breathtaking, especially at night. The star-filled sky was always so bright, even with the moon's light. She didn't think there was a spot anywhere on Earth, in her time, where the stars seemed so vivid. Kagome sat then, pulling her knees up to her chest, and Inu Yasha followed suit, sitting in his typical dog style.

"But," she continued "I am afraid that if he really is after her, he is keeping a closer watch on her. Which means he could find out about the power of the well, and, since he has jewel shards, I think he might be able to travel to my time? Can you imagine the kind of chaos that would cause?" She looked over at him only to see his concern-filled eyes staring back at her. It always took her breath away when he did that, _did he have any idea how much it affected her? _

"Kagome," he said softly, "I would never want that to happen, you know that." He looked away then, off into the distance. "We'll just have to make sure that she is safe, and," a wry smile played across his face, "she did want an adventure, after all. It looks like she is going to get one." Kagome smiled too, but hers was one of affection.

"Thank you, Inu Yasha." she said softly as she leaned in and placed her head on his shoulder. She could feel him tense momentarily, but then he relaxed and sat more comfortably on the ground. It had been a long day, and as tired as she was she thought she might fall asleep right there.

She had always felt so safe when she was with him, especially when they were together like this. _And now that Kikyo is gone…_ How could she even _think_ that? Kagome abruptly sat up and stared at her lap, unable to look at Inu Yasha.

"Kagome," he asked, concern obvious in his voice, "what's wrong?" She had come to terms with Inu Yasha's indecision concerning Kikyo a long time ago. She had even come to accept Kikyo in some small way after the ordeal they had shared inside that giant demon. They had worked together to find their freedom, but after it was all said and done they had gone their separate ways. No thanks, but no harsh words either. Now she was thinking about how good it was that Kikyo was gone. That was _not_ the kind of person Kagome wanted to be.

"I have to go." she replied, choking back tears that threatened to fall as she stood up. She was stopped by a strong hand around her wrist, and found herself pulled back to the ground, now facing Inu Yasha. But she still did not look up. She could not.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" asked Inu Yasha, obviously not understanding her sudden change in mood. "Did I do something wrong? If I did, just sit me or something, but don't cry." he pleaded, still holding her wrist. "You know I can't stand it when you cry." He gave her wrist a small squeeze.

"It wasn't you, Inu Yasha." she replied, a hitch in her voice from tears that were now doing more than threatening to fall. "It's me." He wouldn't understand, and it would hurt to bring up the subject of Kikyo, she knew that. _So, why bother explaining? It won't do any good._ Suddenly she found herself pulled to him and put into a strong embrace.

"Kagome," he said softly into her ear, "I wasn't thinking about her just now." Kagome's breath caught in her chest and her heart seemed to stop. Inu Yasha then put her at arm's length and gently lifted her chin so that she was looking at him. "I meant what I said. I won't ever leave you again, regardless of what you think." He paused and used his thumb to wipe away the tears from her cheek, the look in his eyes so intense that she couldn't move, couldn't speak.

"Kikyo is gone," he said sadly, "but she was gone long before Naraku took the life of her recent incarnation. But, even though she was made of bone and earth, I could not let myself care deeply for another. I felt as though…I was betraying her somehow, and I knew that my life belonged to her." Kagome's heart resumed beating. She knew Inu Yasha did not share his thoughts openly, and that this was monumental, but she knew all of this and he did not have to speak words which would cause him pain.

"Inu Ya-" she began but was silenced by a finger covering her mouth.

"No, Kagome," he said softly, "you have tolerated my silence for too long. You must already know this, but saying it to you takes a great weight off of me. You have been by my side since the beginning. You've put up with my jealousy and put my heart to rest time after time, and I did nothing, said nothing, to ease yours." He lowered his head, apparently feeling guilty over what he had done. "But, Kagome, if I had come one second later that little bastard Akago would have had you and I…I could never have forgiven myself. I was tricked by some rumor that Kikyo was alive, and it almost cost me you." He looked up at her then, and she could see unshed tears lining his eyes. She had only ever seen him like this once, that time he'd thought that she and the others were dead. "I could not live with that, without you. If Kikyo is still alive then I wish her well, but she is no longer in my thoughts. You, Kagome," he reached up with both hands to cup her face and drew her closer to him, "are my world now," he said softly as he placed a gentle kiss upon her lips.

Kagome was momentarily taken off guard by his action, but she soon found herself kissing him back. They had kissed once before, when it was the only way she could think of to keep him from transforming into a full demon, but they had both sheepishly denied its existence when it was all said and done. But, this time there was no dire emergency, no life and death situation, he had just wanted to kiss her. She was in heaven. They broke the kiss, and she looked up at him.

"Inu Yasha," she said slowly.

"What?" he asked, but there was something different about his voice. He no longer had that soft sultry tone that he had when he was speaking a moment ago, he almost sounded annoyed.

"Inu Yasha," she said once more.

"What?" came the reply, but this time he was definitely annoyed. She then found herself being shaken and thrown into darkness only to open her eyes a moment later to see Inu Yasha staring down at her. Sitting up, she realized that she must have fallen asleep and had slid down to where her head had been resting on his thigh. It was a dream? She looked over at Inu Yasha to see a confused look on his face. All a dream?

---------------------------------------

"You okay?" asked Inu Yasha. She seemed to be okay, but what ever she was dreaming about had really shaken her up. And why had she been calling his name?

"Yes," she replied, "I'm fine now. Come on, we should get some sleep. We have to get going early tomorrow." She started to get up and leave but Inu Yasha still wanted some answers.

"Hey," he called as he got up and moved in front of her path, "what were you dreaming about?"

"What?" He could see her face visibly pale, even with only moonlight. "It was nothing, now let's get going." She tried to walk around him, but he only stepped in her path.

"So a dream that has me in it is just nothing, huh?"

"Look, it's none of your business."

"Well, if it involves me," he shot back," I think it is my business."

"Why do you always have to be so stubborn?" He could see that she was starting to get angry now, but he was not going to back down.

"Me, stubborn, hah," he mocked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're the one who is being stubborn."

"Well, it is personal." Oh yeah, she was definitely mad. "And, it is not like telling you what the dream was about would make any difference, anyway!" she exclaimed as she shoved him.

Now, normally Kagome shoving him would not have moved him an inch, but he was so unbalanced by her statement that he found himself falling backwards, and reaching out to grab Kagome to steady himself. However, he wound up pulling her down with him instead. He now found himself flat on his back with Kagome lying on top of him, her face only inches from his own. He looked into her eyes, she was still angry with him, but there was something else too. Hurt…uncertainty…love…and that one scared him the most. He cared for Kagome, but he had not allowed himself to openly show his affection for her, aside from his desire to protect her, out of respect for Kikyo. But Kikyo was gone, finally at rest, and now that he had Kagome this close he could just lift his head and take her oh-so-tempting lips with his and show her how he felt, but…

The moment seemed to last forever, but, as it had been on so many other occasions, it seemed that fate did not want them to be together when a squeaky little voice could be heard at the edge of the clearing.

"See, I told you we should have left them alone!" cried Shippou as he pointed in their direction from a perch on Julia's shoulder. Miroku looked like he was giving him a nod of approval, and Sango's face would have given a tomato a run for its money. Kagome must have finally come to realize how improper their situation must have looked because she immediately jumped up.

"This is _not_ what it looks like!" she yelled, her face vying for the blushing championship. She then hastily explained what had happened before quickly changing the subject. "So, why were you guys looking for us anyway?"

"When we arrived back at the hut you were gone and Kaede said you had left some time ago." explained Sango, her face returning to a more natural shade. "We were worried, so we came to look for you." Shippou then jumped into Kagome's arms to continue the story.

"I told them Inu Yasha was with you and we should probably leave you alone, but do they ever listen to me?" He crossed his little arms and shook his head.

"It's alright, Shippou." she replied, patting his head. Inu Yasha suddenly wished that was his head, the little brat was always taking Kagome's attention. Realizing his train of thought he mentally slapped himself and then started back to the village.

"Come on, we have to get an early start so we can save that wimpy wolf's life." he called back. "Let's get some sleep." They had decided that Naraku's next target would definitely be Kouga. Kagome was sure that the shard Julia had was the final piece and, since Kagura would tell Naraku of its strange protection, the next easiest target was Kouga. _If Naraku manages to get that stupid wolf's shards he'll be one step closer to completing the Jewel._ Inu Yasha hated to think what would happen if that came to pass, and if he had anything to say about it that day would never come.

---------------------------------------

A/N: Please Review. I like to know what you all are thinking…


	4. Enter the Wolf

Update: Chapter edited.

Disclaimer: Usual disclaimer, blah, blah, blah

A/N: Yup, guess who shows up now?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Four: Enter the Wolf

The group headed towards the mountains where the wolf tribe had made their home. Kagome and Shippou rode on Inu Yasha's back, Julia rode with Sango on Kirara, and Miroku ran alongside. Julia knew that Miroku was human, but the pace at which he could keep up still astounded her. Sango told her that normally they all would have walked, but since they were in a hurry getting a good start was very important.

Riding on the back of the giant fire cat demon Julia reveled at the beauty of the land around her. They had gone through a lush forest only moments ago and now they were traveling through fields and farmland still green from the spring season. It was so surreal that she almost lost touch with the reality of the situation she now found herself in. She admired Kagome's strength and courage for dealing with this secret life for as long as she had. Julia only hoped that she proved to be half as courageous. She had wanted an adventure and now she was definitely on one. She knew she could have thrown it in after the attempt to steal her shard and have gone home, but somehow she felt like she might be able to help keep it safe.

They stopped once during their trip that day for lunch and to give Miroku a break. Julia was sure that they would be cooking over an open flame, but what she did not expect was the tea kettle and instant noodle cups that Kagome pulled out of her impossibly large backpack. The others seemed quite used to this so she didn't say anything about it, only accepted hers with gratitude.

The conversation while they ate stayed fairly light. Apparently, no one wanted to discuss what it was they were up against. Julia figured they all knew what lay ahead and would rather think of happier things. So, Julia answered all of their questions about where it was that she was from, with even Kagome seeming interested in life in America. She told them of the airplane that brought her from America to Japan, and referenced it on the map she had shown them when she first arrived. Inu Yasha also seemed to be quite interested in the map this time, frequently snatching it out of the others' hands only to have it snatched right back with Shippou reprimanding him. _Those two act more like siblings that Inu Yasha and Sesshoumaru do_ Julia suddenly thought.

The others seemed to be amazed by the fact that Sesshoumaru had saved her. Miroku described him as being a ruthless killing machine, Sango only agreed, and Shippou would talk only of how scary he was. But, other than being extremely arrogant, Sesshoumaru did not seem like the type of person the others described. Why would he have rescued her if he hated humans? It did not make any sense. Being curious as she was, Julia wanted to talk to Kagome about it, but saw no opportunity to do so while they were traveling. However, that night after their meal the girls ventured off to a hot spring where she was assured the boys would not peek - something about knowing the consequences if they did.

"Kagome," she began once they were all settled and Shippou was off splashing about in the inflatable inner tube that Kagome had brought him, "is Sesshoumaru really like what the others described him to be?" Kagome seemed to look over at Sango before beginning, almost like she was not sure whether to answer.

"Well, I used to think so, but…" she trailed off and looked at her reflection in the water.

"What do you mean?" ask Sango, "Do you really think someone like him can change?"

"I think he might have already started to change," Kagome replied and looked over at Sango, then focused her attention on Julia. "When I first came here…my initial encounter with Sesshoumaru ended in Inu Yasha taking his arm. He had come after Inu Yasha in search of their father's tomb so that he could get his hands on the sword that Inu Yasha now uses. He deceived Inu Yasha into thinking that he had brought his human mother back from the dead and then used that deception to get the tomb's location. The sword Sesshoumaru sought was given to Inu Yasha by their father. Another sword was given to Sesshoumaru, but he felt that it was worthless compared to Inu Yasha's sword."

"How so?" Julia asked as Sango merely looked on. The demon-hunter obviously already knew what had happened.

"Well, you see, Inu Yasha's sword, Tetsusaiga, is capable of killing 100 demons in a single stroke, while Sesshoumaru's sword, Tenseiga, is capable of healing 100 in a single stroke," explained Kagome.

"And how is that useless?"

"It isn't," agreed Kagome, "but to Sesshoumaru, a person who had no desire to help anyone but himself, that kind of sword is worthless. A sword to dominate others and destroy his enemies would have been much more to his liking. That is why he continually tried to get the Tetsusaiga from Inu Yasha."

"Well, what stopped him?" asked Julia. "I mean, no offense, but Sesshoumaru seems to have a slight edge over Inu Yasha."

"You're right," Kagome nodded, "but the sword has a protection spell placed on it which will not let a full-demon hold it. So, Sesshoumaru, being a full-demon, can't even touch it."

"But he used that arm to get it that one time," piped in Shippou, still paddling about in his inner tube.

"Naraku had tried to use Sesshoumaru to kill Inu Yasha by giving him a human arm and attaching it to him with a jewel shard," explained Kagome, obviously seeing Julia's puzzled face at Shippou's comment. "Sesshoumaru almost succeeded in getting it. Inu Yasha managed to get it back, but not without paying a price. Sesshoumaru had beaten him up pretty badly and put a hole through his stomach. I think the only reason Sesshoumaru left him alive at that time was because even though Inu Yasha had passed out his sword was still protecting him."

"He does sound like he was pretty ruthless," agreed Julia, "but, what's making you change your mind?"

"Yes, what is it?" echoed Sango, showing a bit more interest in the topic.

"It just seems that ever since Inu Yasha figured out how to use the full power of Tetsusaiga, and almost killed Sesshoumaru that one time, Sesshoumaru's desire to get the sword seemed to vanish. Then there was the incident with the sword Tokijin. Sesshoumaru didn't attack outright - it was more like he wanted to test out his new sword. Then, when Inu Yasha went full-demon that one time, Sesshoumaru didn't kill Inu Yasha - he only knocked him out." Kagome paused to take a breath. "And finally, it is that little girl that has me convinced the most."

"What little girl?" asked Sango and Julia in unison.

"Do you remember when Inu Yasha broke through Naraku's barrier for the first time?" Sango nodded, and Julia just went along with it. "Well, Sesshoumaru was there, too. He and Inu Yasha almost had Naraku, but Naraku had been holding something against Sesshoumaru so that he would not pursue him. It turned out to be a little girl. The same girl that Kohaku was guarding when you guys went off to find him. She practically ran back to Sesshoumaru once it was all over."

"I hadn't realized it, but you are right," added Sango, "He did not kill Kohaku, either."

"I think that Sesshoumaru has a lot of good in him, and his father giving him the healing sword just goes to show that his dad felt the same way." Kagome seemed to say this more to herself than to the others.

"Then why give Inu Yasha a sword that destroys?" asked Julia, grateful that she was getting some background on these guys.

"For protection," replied Kagome. "As a half-demon, Inu Yasha is not quite as strong as a full-demon, though at times I wonder about that. I've seen him face and defeat quite a few full-blooded demons." Sango splashed her and gave her a sour look. "Okay, okay, he had help, but you have to admit he is strong?" Sango only smiled back and nodded. "Anyway, the sword also acts as a seal on Inu Yasha's demon blood. If he feels his life is in danger his demon blood takes over his systems and he transforms into something as strong as a full-demon, but all he is capable of is killing. It gets worse every time he changes, and it has gotten to the point to where he does not even recognize me." Kagome's voice dropped a little and she seemed saddened by it. "But, as long as he has Tetsusaiga he will not transform."

"Oh," was all Julia could muster as a response, and deciding that there had been enough serious talk she figured it would be a good idea to lighten the mood a little. "So Sango, what's the deal with Miroku?" The young hunter's face went completely red, and Kagome stifled a giggle.

---------------------------------------

They had slowed their pace slightly as they climbed higher and higher up the mountains. Sango had decided to give Kirara a break, so Julia found herself walking between Sango and Miroku as they walked up the path. Kagome walked on the other side of Kirara, a searching look on her face like she was concentrating on finding something. Inu Yasha had gone up ahead, unable to walk at the pace the rest were setting.

"So Kouga is a wolf demon?" Julia asked, just to break the silence. They had already told her as much the previous day, but the current mood was killing her.

"Yes," answered Miroku. "He is the prince of his tribe, though his role is more as a leader than as royalty."

"He certainly is arrogant enough to pass as royalty though," interjected Sango. Miroku placed a hand behind his head and laughed heartily.

"That certainly is true enough," Miroku chuckled a little as he agreed, "especially when it comes to Kagome."

"How so?" ask Julia, curious at this new information, but her answer would have to wait.

"He's coming," said Kagome, suddenly pointing to the path in front of them. The others followed where she pointed and soon a small tornado came racing down the mountain side. Julia's first instinct was to get out the way, but seeing the others remain calm she did the same. Grinding to a quick stop, out of the whirlwind popped a rather handsome-looking young man. He wore wolf skins that matched the brown of his hair, and actually seemed to have wolf-like tail. She also noted his pointed ears, similar to Sesshoumaru's, that marked him demon. Without pause he walked over to Kagome, grabbed her hand, and pulled her a little closer to him.

"Ah Kagome," he said smoothly, "how I have missed you these few days we've been separated." Kagome merely stared, and the others looked bored at the interplay. "Did you finally come to take your place as my woman?"

"I see what you mean," whispered Julia to Miroku as she picked up on the arrogance that he had spoken of earlier. Miroku only nodded.

"Get your filthy paws off of her!" erupted Inu Yasha as he raced to the scene, immediately getting between the two. "When are you gonna learn, you wimpy wolf, that Kagome is not yours!?"

"Well, well, well," smirked Kouga, backing up a pace. "If it isn't Dog Breath. Finally stop moping over your dead Dead-Girl?"

"Why you," yelled Inu Yasha as he rushed Kouga.

"SIT!" shrieked Kagome, which to Julia's surprise caused Inu Yasha to hit the ground with enough force to crack the rock. "This is no time to be fighting, Inu Yasha." Kouga looked pretty smug until Kagome turned on him. "And you! Why rile him up like that, especially after he saved your life back at Mount Hakurei?" Kouga looked sufficiently scolded, but instead of apologizing he crossed his arms and turned towards the rest of the group.

"Kagome!" yelled Inu Yasha looking like the devil himself, "What did you do that - "

"And who is this?" Kouga interrupted, coming over to Julia.

"Julia," she answered. "Nice to meet you." She added a small bow to show a little bit of respect. She wasn't really sure she liked Kouga, but better to start out on the right foot, right?

"You smell human," the wolf demon replied, taking a big sniff, "but you sure don't look like any human I've ever seen."

"She's not from around here, Kouga," stated Kagome, obviously attempting to avoid the issue of the well again. _Apparently that's not a secret that those outside of Kagome's little circle of friends know_ Julia thought. "Julia came across a jewel shard that has recently come to the attention of Naraku and wants to help us defeat him. And actually…" Kagome paused momentarily, and put a hand on Kouga's arm. Inu Yasha did not like that one bit, but other than his eyebrows rising beyond its normal height, he held his tongue. "That is why we came to see you, Kouga."

"Oh, so you want my help to get the shards too, eh?" Kouga replied haughtily, puffing his chest out. "Dog-Breath couldn't cut it so you came to get a real man, huh?"

"Well, yes and no," responded Kagome, obviously not wanting to tell him the truth. "We would like your help in defeating Naraku once and for all, but we also came to warn you that-"

"I was coming for you!" boomed a voice from out of no where, and then on the path in front of them appeared Naraku. Not sparing a moment he sent a blast of energy their way, causing the group to quickly back down the path. Sango jumped onto Kirara, Miroku grabbed Julia, and Inu Yasha snatched Kagome out of the way.

"Damn it!" cursed Inu Yasha, "Why didn't we sense him coming?"

"He doesn't have the rest of the Jewel of Four Souls with him." answered Kagome.

"You," Inu Yasha pointed at Kouga, "stay out of the way. I'll handle this." Inu Yasha then leapt back up the path to confront Naraku with Miroku and Sango in tow.

"Why you-" began Kouga as he started after Inu Yasha.

"Wait," cried Kagome, "please Kouga, you have to stay here."

"Why?" questioned Kouga.

"He is after your two shards," Kagome explained. "If you go out there you'll be the primary target of attack." Kouga seemed to take in what she said with some degree of discomfort. "Besides, I need you to stay here and protect Shippou and Julia."

"Hey," began Julia, about to nip the 'needing to be protected' thing in the bud, but she caught Kagome's pleading look and knew that Kouga needed a little ego-stroking to stay out of harm's way. "umm, you're right, I would feel a lot safer if Kouga was here to protect me." Julia said, as feminine as she could muster, even batting her eyes to emphasis her supposed weakness.

"Well," considered Kouga "alright then. For your sake, Kagome."

"Thank you, Kouga!" she yelled back over her shoulder as she too went to engage Naraku in battle.

"Don't worry, Julia," said Shippou as he hopped into her arms. "I'm here to protect you too." He put on his bravest face, but she could see that the kitsune was scared and anxious. Kouga looked like he was a bit nervous too, and definitely ready to join the fight if things did not go their way.

---------------------------------------

_At least I know that Kouga will be safe while he thinks he must protect Julia_ thought Kagome as she rushed in to help her friends. Naraku was putting up quite a fight - he'd brought swarms of his poisonous insects to prevent Miroku from using his wind tunnel and droves of lesser demons to surround him. She didn't see Kagura anywhere, but that did not mean the wind demoness was not in the area.

Inu Yasha had been using his wind scar attack to clear the path to Naraku, but just as soon as he killed the first wave another would dive in to take its place. Sango's boomerang continued to slice through dozens at a time, but she was not making any progress getting to their target, even with Kirara at her side. Miroku was in similar straights not having the use of his wind tunnel. He cut through as many as he could while staying close enough to Sango to watch her back. Occasionally Kagome saw a few of his talismans fly towards oncoming demons.

Letting her arrows fly, she made her way over to those two, not wanting to get in Inu Yasha's way.

"Kagome you should have stayed with Kouga," yelled Sango as Kagome approached them.

"No, I can help," she replied. "Besides, if I stayed with Kouga all the shards would be together, making us one target instead of two." Sango nodded her agreement, but she did not look happy. While sheltered by her three companions Kagome turned her attention towards Inu Yasha, and his desperate attempts to get closer to Naraku. The demons surrounding him were too numerous even for Inu Yasha's attacks.

Deciding she could help him Kagome notched one of her arrows and aimed for Naraku. Letting it fly she watched it slice through many of the lesser demons in the way and fight against the shield that now surrounded Naraku, but her arrow could not pierce it.

"Inu Yasha!" Kagome shouted. "Follow my arrow!" Seeing that he had heard her, she repeated her motions and let another arrow fly. Inu Yasha followed close behind, she could see him readying Tetsusaiga, the sword turning red with its shield-shattering power. _Good,_ she thought, _he is not going to hold back._ Time seemed to slow as Inu Yasha unleashed his attack. Sango and Miroku looked on, hope shining in their eyes. _This could be it!_ thought Kagome. But something was wrong - Naraku did not look worried. He merely stood there waiting for Inu Yasha's attack to come. And then the moment came, Inu Yasha's attack hit Naraku's shields causing great clouds of dust and debris to fly into the air, obscuring Naraku from view. Kagome held her breath as the dust began to settle, her eyes never leaving Naraku's last known location. Inu Yasha still stood at the ready, sword in hand. The other demons also seemed to stop their pursuit, waiting to know the outcome.

Then a gust of wind blowing down the mountain side revealed what all hoped would not be. Naraku still stood, his shield intact and a triumphant smile upon his face.

"You honestly think you can beat me?" taunted Naraku from the safety of his shield. "You, a pitiful half-demon? What hope do you have of defeating me?" Kagome could see murder written all over Inu Yasha's face, and knew that Naraku's taunting would get Inu Yasha to attack recklessly.

Upon seeing their master still intact the other demons began their charge once more. Since Inu Yasha could not penetrate Naraku's shield his group was at a disadvantage. The others were getting tired and Kagome was running low on arrows. She had to do something or Naraku would get her shards and then go after Kouga and Julia. The Jewel would be complete and Naraku would become unstoppable. But what could be done?

---------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru had trailed Inu Yasha and his group since the previous day. He knew they must be heading towards the mountains where the wolf demons made their home. If he remembered correctly the leader of the pack had two jewel shards, one in each of his legs. They had met once before, and while the wolf demon's arrogance was astounding he had had helped to save Rin's life. For that, Sesshoumaru was grateful, though he would never admit it.

He stood at the base of the cliff where he knew his quarry had stopped to greet the wolf. He could hear Jaken grumbling about Rin's foolishness behind him. The little girl had found some mushrooms growing at the base of a tree, and had proceeded to make small dwellings out of them for imaginary beings. _At least she is keeping herself busy_ Sesshoumaru thought as he wondered why it was that he allowed the little human to follow him.

Sesshoumaru had not found an opportunity to get the strange girl alone in the last couple of days. He knew he could just go and get her, but he did not want his worthless brother to get in the way. Sesshoumaru could be patient when he wanted to, and so for now he would wait. There _would_ be an opportunity. He was sure of it.

It was then he sensed it – Naraku's miasma. But…it was so slight that Sesshoumaru had to double check what his senses were telling him. He then felt the other hordes of lesser demons as they came flying overhead towards the cliff where Inu Yasha and his group were. Realizing that Naraku must be making his move Sesshoumaru quickly leapt into action.

"Jaken, watch Rin."

"My Lord, wh…" but he was gone before his servant could finish his sentence.

He did not immediately join the battle. Instead he landed on a cliff overlooking the fight. Scanning the battlefield, Sesshoumaru could see that Inu Yasha was already making his way towards Naraku through all of the lesser demons Naraku used as cannon fodder. The demon hunter, monk and fire cat were holding their own against the onslaught as well. Further down the trail he found Inu Yasha's woman, the wolf, and the girl. There seemed to be a minor argument, and then Inu Yasha's woman ran towards her friends, letting her purity arrows fly. _She is definitely a much better marksman than the last time I saw her fire a bow._ That left the wolf, who did not look happy about being left out of the battle, and that strange girl holding the small fox kit. She did not look scared, only worried for her friends. She also kept glancing at the wolf like she was keeping an eye on him. Could it be that she was supposed to keep him safe instead of the other way around?

Sesshoumaru heard the call for Inu Yasha to follow the arrow, and watched in great anticipation as Inu Yasha let his attack fly. There was a small hope that it would work, but Sesshoumaru knew that Naraku had hidden away for a reason. Naraku had almost been bested by Inu Yasha's sword before, and he would not have come out of hiding again until he was sure he could withstand that same attack. And as the wind blew the dust away Sesshoumaru saw his assumptions proven right.

"Damn that Naraku." The demon lord cursed quietly. He saw Naraku taunt Inu Yasha and draw him back into battle. "Damn it, Inu Yasha, use your head for once - that is what he _wants_." Sesshoumaru decided that the fight was going to quickly turn on his idiot half-brother, and that if he wanted to destroy Naraku now was his chance. Pulling Tokijin from his belt Sesshoumaru let fly a giant blast of energy straight at Naraku.

---------------------------------------

Julia watched as the most incredible looking blast did nothing to Naraku. Things did _not_ look good for her friends, and Kouga looked like he was ready to jump into the fray. She saw Inu Yasha make another attempt to break through Naraku's shields by hitting it directly with his sword, but he was suddenly blown back by the force of another energy blast hitting the shield.

Looking up the cliff face she saw Sesshoumaru jump down and head towards Naraku, sword in hand. She saw that the others had spotted him as well and were obviously shocked by his appearance. After what they had told her the other night, she was not surprised by their reactions. Inu Yasha had quickly recovered and shouted some profanities at his brother, but also noticed that Naraku had actually been shaken by the attack that Sesshoumaru had just unleashed. Taking the opportunity he raised his sword and let another powerful attack fly alongside another of Sesshoumaru's energy blasts.

Julia watched Naraku's face change from triumphant to furious. He had clearly not expected Sesshoumaru to show up. Filling the air with some kind of gas Naraku quickly escaped, glaring down at the two brothers. With his departure the rest of the demon horde left as well. Miroku quickly whipped off the protective binding on his wind tunnel and sucked in the poisonous cloud. The others had told Julia about Miroku's hand, but seeing it in action was an eye opener. Miroku resealed his hand and Julia and Kouga ran over to them, Shippou still in Julia's arms.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked as soon as she reached the small group, feeling relief as they nodded. She could see a few cuts on both Sango and Miroku, but nothing looked too serious. Turning to Kagome for an answer she saw that the other girl's attention was on the two figures still standing a little ways off. Inu Yasha and Sesshoumaru stood staring off towards the setting sun. The direction Naraku had fled to. The effect truly made them look the part of the heroes. Kagome must have been thinking the same thing as her eyes were slightly glazed over. The moment, however, was ruined the second Inu Yasha looked back at his older half-brother.

"I could have handled that," he whined. Sesshoumaru merely stared at him, wearing the same stoic mask Julia had started to become accustomed to. She saw Kagome walking towards them, and followed her.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru," Kagome interjected before Inu Yasha really got started. Julia nodded in agreement, but did not say anything. She did, however, notice that Sesshoumaru was now eyeing her. _He must still be mad about the other day._

"What are you doing here, anyway?" asked Inu Yasha, obviously not wanting to admit that Sesshoumaru was any help.

"I sensed Naraku in the area and came to deal with him," came the even reply, but Sesshoumaru's gaze remained fixed on Julia.

"I told you Naraku is _mine,_" Inu Yasha stated icily, finally drawing Sesshoumaru's gaze away from Julia and to himself. _Thank you._ She would not look away, but that gaze could be quite intimidating.

"You would be dead right now if I had not arrived," Sesshoumaru stated. _Wow, does he really care about his younger brother? _"Your death will be at _my_ hands, and no other's." _Never mind_ Julia thought, mentally slapping herself in the process. These two were just too much, she'd heard of sibling rivalry but this was ridiculous.

"Look," she started taking a step towards the two, "you both are really powerful, and once you both attacked Naraku obviously got scared, turned tail, and ran," she stated putting her hands on her hips as Shippou jumped to her shoulder. "Why don't you two work together to defeat him?" They both turned their heads towards her like she was a crazy woman.

"Work…with him?" cried Inu Yasha pointing an exaggerated finger towards Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru merely glared at her.

"Well, why not?" she questioned, "You guys would be unstoppable. Then once Naraku is dead you can go back to trying to kill each out with out interruption." she finished with a sarcastic smile. She could see Kagome hiding a smile out of the corner of her eye, but the boys did not seem happy at all. Inu Yasha looked speechless, and what Sesshoumaru was feeling was anybody's guess, but he must have been feeling something because he took a few steps towards her. Julia held her ground, but suddenly found herself blocked from him by three other people. Sango and Miroku, with Kagome at point with her arms spread wide.

"Sesshoumaru, please," pleaded Kagome, "she is new to these parts, she-"

"You would be wise to learn to hold your tongue, woman," the demon lord interrupted, looking past the three humans and straight into Julia's eyes.

"Well at least I've graduated from a girl to a woman." Julia mocked, pushing her way past her three protectors - Shippou jumping onto Kagome's shoulder as she did so. Sesshoumaru's mask began to crack. "Yes, you are powerful, yes, you could probably kill me now and not think twice about it, but," Julia paused, and looked intensely right into Sesshoumaru's eyes. "What I said was the truth. Together you would be able get rid of Naraku." _God, what am I doing?!_ Sesshoumaru's face was _livid_. _And after everything the others told me about him…_ But, Sesshoumaru _did_ save her the other day, and even after she had flipped him he had not attempted to kill her. But, she had done that in private, and now she was defying him in front of everyone. _No! I won't show my fear! Not now!_

---------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru stared into her unflinching green eyes. He knew he must look angry, he had lost control of his mask a while ago. Why was it all of his dealings with this girl made him lose the control he had worked so hard to perfect over the years? There had never been a human who spoke to him so, and definitely never a _female_ human. There were even very few female demons that would dare to speak to him in such a manner. And even if they did, there was fear in them. With this girl, this woman, he did not sense any fear - only strong determination.

Sesshoumaru could sense too, that the other humans around her were still tense, probably thinking that he would rip her throat out at any second. But, he was not a mindless killing machine. Sesshoumaru killed when it served him, and right now her death would not do anything for him. He gradually regained control of his emotions and slid his bored mask back in place, but he did not break eye contact.

"You," he said in a low voice, coming in closer to her, "do not know of what you speak."

"I know enough to know that you are being stubborn," she said her voice just as low, her eyes never leaving his. He had hoped to get the last word and leave, but she was relentless in her decision to not back down.

"Woman," he growled slightly, "you should know your place." He turned his back to her before she could get another word in. "Inu Yasha, it is no wonder you get nowhere in life, letting your women walk all over you as you do." _She will _not_ get the last word_ he thought to himself as he took the sky. _That **woman** will not get the better of me!_

"Do you have a death wish or something?" Inu Yasha yelled at Julia, who looked like she was coming out of some sort of trance.

"What?" she asked, shaking her head slightly. "No, of course not."

"Then why did you provoke him?" Inu Yasha could not believe the sight he had just witnessed. He had never seen anyone, other than himself of course, stand up to Sesshoumaru, let alone talk to him like that before. He had stood there and watched the whole thing, and he still did not believe it.

"Look," Julia turned to him, almost unnerving the half-demon with how close she was to him in height. "I am not used to being treated that way, and your brother," she pointed in the direction Sesshoumaru had left to, "half or no, needs to learn some manners. I wouldn't care if he was lord of all Japan, he can't treat people like that." Her eyes never left his, and Inu Yasha was beginning to understand how she could stand up to his brother. "And you," she pointed to him, "are not helping things, either."

"Me!" he exploded, "What did I do?"

"You could have agreed with her about working with Sesshoumaru." interjected Kagome. _Oh no, now Kagome's at it too _thought Inu Yasha, his ears beginning to flatten.

"We don't need _his_ help!" _I can handle Naraku…and I do _not_ need my ass of an older brother's interference!_

"Inu Yasha, you saw as well as we did how ineffective your red Tetsusaiga was against Naraku's barrier," Miroku added to the conversation as he walked over to them with Sango and the rest in tow.

"Please Inu Yasha, it couldn't hurt to try to work with him," pleaded Kagome. She looked at him with such caring eyes that he felt himself starting to give into their logic.

"Your brother was right, Dog Breath," Kouga added as he approached the group. "You _do_ let your women walk all over you." Inu Yasha was about to go kick some wolf ass, but he was beaten to the punch.

"Oh, don't _even_ get me started on you, buddy!" shouted Julia, whirling around on the unwary wolf. "I barely even know you, but from what I've seen you are just as arrogant as Inu Yasha's brother!" _That shocked look on Kouga's face feels almost as good as punching him would have…almost._ "Inu Yasha and everyone else came here to save your life, and all you've done is insult him. I'm honestly not sure why it is you deserve their _help_, let alone their _friendship_." Kouga looked thoroughly humbled, a look that was definitely not something Inu Yasha ever thought he would see on that damn wolf's face. _I think I might be starting to like this girl, even if she does think I need help._

"Kouga," Kagome interrupted soothingly, apparently trying to salvage some of the wolf's pride that Julia had just ripped to shreds. "It is as I told you before. Naraku now knows where all of the remaining shards are. We came here to warn you, and come up with some kind of plan."

"I see," replied the wolf, obviously still feeling put in his place by their newest member. "Then, let's go back to my den. We can all recuperate there and discuss what our next step should be to deal with Naraku."

"Thank you, Kouga," Kagome gave him a slight bow, but Inu Yasha wished she wouldn't be so nice to him.

"No," Kouga took her hand, "thank you, Kagome." Kouga said as he looked into her eyes. _Oh, that is it _Inu Yasha growled to himself.

"Hey,-"

"Well," Kouga interrupted Inu Yasha as he stepped back from Kagome, "I'll go on ahead and get the men to get a meal together for you when you get there. You remember the way, Kagome?" At her nod, Kouga continued. "See you there, then." He gave a final wave good bye and took off, creating a tornado as he went. Kagome stood staring after him.

_That stupid wolf, how dare he touch Kagome like that_? Inu Yasha thought to himself as he too watched the tornado drop out of existence.

"Well, we should get going," piped in Miroku. "The sun is almost set, and I for one am famished."

"Me, too," squeaked Shippou from his newest perch on Kirara's head.

"Fine, let's go," Inu Yasha growled and led the way up the path. He didn't look back, he knew the rest would be following soon. He could sense Kagome staring at him, she was probably wondering if he was annoyed by Kouga's little scene. Well he was annoyed, but what could he do? He'd all but blown Kagome off for Kikyou all those times. Why should he be able to stop Kagome if she chose Kouga over him? It was her choice after all.

---------------------------------------

Kagome watched Inu Yasha walk quickly up the hill. She knew he was not upset by Julia's words, if anything he was probably grinning ear to ear on the inside for what she said to Kouga. It was the typical silly jealousy that he was upset over. _What do I have to do to make him understand that I don't have any interest in Kouga?_

"Kagome," came a voice from her side, "is he okay?" It was Julia, and the 'he' that she referred to was indicated by an outstretched finger pointing to Inu Yasha.

"Yes," Kagome replied. "He just doesn't like it when Kouga is…friendly."

"I think I'll catch up to Inu Yasha. Shippou, why don't you come with me?" Miroku said as he grabbed the small kit from Kirara.

"But I-" Shippou started to complain, but was cut short by Miroku picking up his pace to catch up to Inu Yasha. _He must understand the need for girl talk._ He really could be sweet when he wanted to, now if only he could stop being such a letch…

"What was that all about?" asked Sango as they started to walk in the direction their male companions had gone.

"I think Miroku wanted to give us a chance to talk," answered Kagome.

"About what?" she asked.

"I asked Kagome why Inu Yasha was upset?" replied Julia.

"Oh," was all Sango said.

"Kouga has it in his head that I am, as he puts it, 'his woman'," explained Kagome. "He really is a nice guy, and I am afraid I may have used his affections to make Inu Yasha jealous on occasion," she admitted. She didn't like that she did, but she knew she had.

"What do you mean?" asked Julia.

"Well, you see," she began, and then explained who Kikyou was, how they first met Kouga, some of the adventures they had together, and the jealousy that Inu Yasha always displayed afterwards each time that the wolf and Kagome met. "I think that we've all been through enough that Kouga knows I really do only care for Inu Yasha, but he continues to be…overly sweet."

"I see," was all the older girl said. _What must she be thinking?_ thought Kagome. _This woman who was able to speak her mind to Sesshoumaru, and put all the guys in their places? I must really look like a silly school girl to her…_

"Have you told Kouga that you think of him only as a friend?"

"Well," she had, hadn't she? "I …well, when we first met I denied being his woman."

"But, have you actually told him that you don't see him in your future?" persisted Julia.

"No…I guess I haven't," Kagome admitted rather sheepishly.

"Now that Inu Yasha no longer has to keep his oath to Kikyou, I'm sure he will want to hold on to you more, and perhaps seeing you so friendly with Kouga is causing his confidence in your love to dwindle," explained Julia. Kagome nodded, seeing the other girl's logic.

"Julia," Sango suddenly asked, "how do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Speak your mind so freely, especially to the men?"

"I," Julia looked confused for a moment, "I don't know. I guess I'm just not used to being talked down to. In our time," she motioned to Kagome and herself, "women and men are treated as equals," she smiled, "or at least that is the idea of how things are supposed to be. Sometimes we have to fight for that equality, but we usually get it." Sango looked to Kagome for confirmation, and her friend nodded. What Julia said was true - that was the way it was in their time.

"However," continued Julia, "I have the added problem of letting the words out of my mouth before I think them over." She smiled then, and Kagome smiled with her.

"But, I think you are right about Inu Yasha and Sesshoumaru working together." Kagome brought up, using Julia's comment to change the subject away from her guy problems. "The problem is there is so much bad blood there, and they are both so stubborn."

"It's true," agreed Sango, "I don't see the two of them working together anytime soon."

"I see," replied Julia, a wry smile playing across her face. _What is she thinking?_ wondered Kagome. "Come on, let's catch up to the boys. I'm getting pretty hungry, too."

---------------------------------------

The wolves had made their den behind the curtain of a waterfall that overlooked the valley. After a quick dinner Hakaku and Ginta, apparently two of Kouga's most trusted warriors, began to share tales of their great adventures with the rest of the pack, at times acting out scenes from some of their more exciting adventures. Julia laughed along with the others at their antics, but soon felt the need for some fresh air. Rising, she slipped out of the cave as quietly as possible and came to stand at the cliff's edge where she could see the valley below her bathed in moonlight. She never got tired of the scenery here - every time she got a chance she'd stop and enjoy it. A gust blew down the side of the mountain carrying drops of the falling water, causing a chill to run down her spine. She hugged herself and rubbed her arms to get warm again.

"The falls make the air up here much cooler," said a low voice behind her. Turning, Julia saw Kouga coming out from behind the watery veil. "If you are cold the fire inside is still burning."

"No," Julia shook her head, "I was only momentarily chilled. I'm fine now," she stated and dropped her arms for emphasis. Looking at him she began to feel bad about her words earlier. "Look, Kouga, I'm sorry about what I said earlier…" she started and walked over to him. "I have a tendency to let my mouth run away with me."

"What you said was the truth," replied Kouga, shaking his head slowly. "I know that Inu Yasha and the humans mean well. They have saved my life many times and I'd like to say the same is true for the reverse, but I know it is not. Even with these shards I am not a match for him," Kouga said as he walked slowly over to the edge of the cliff, "and Inu Yasha has something that I can never have." He turned and looked at Julia with sad eyes. "Kagome." He gave a sad smile then and turned back to viewing the valley.

"Kouga, I-"

"The reason I am telling you this is because you spoke plainly enough to me that I will give you the same courtesy." He turned back to her before continuing. "I care about Kagome, I would do anything to see that she is happy, and it kills me to know that she only has feelings for a man that gave his heart away a long time ago. Inu Yasha deserves her love about as much as I deserve their friendship." Julia was spellbound by the intensity of his bright blue eyes. _Was this the same arrogant man from earlier now speaking with such conviction? _

"I was wrong, Kouga." She smiled at him, and explained. "You do deserve their friendship, but I haven't known the others long enough to know if Inu Yasha deserves Kagome." As she spoke, a smirk grew on Kouga's face.

"And how did you come to be in their company?" asked Kouga, clearly trying to move past their earlier subject.

"It is just like Kagome told you earlier - I have a jewel shard that Naraku would like to get his hands on," she explained quickly, hoping he would not want more.

"But, where do you come from? As I said before you do not look like any human I have ever seen." _Damn_. _Why can't he just drop it?_

"Julia?" a voice called out to her from inside the cave.

"Out here," she called back, grateful for the interruption.

"Oh, I wondered where you had gone off to," said Kagome as she came out from behind the veil. "You, too, Kouga - Hakaku and Ginta were re-enacting the daring rescue you made from that hair monster." Kagome smiled at them both.

"Well, we better go make sure they are getting it right," the wolf stated, the arrogance back in his voice, as he put an arm around Kagome and led her back inside. Julia watched them go for a moment, hoping that Kagome was making the right choice in standing by Inu Yasha. Kagome was right about Kouga knowing her true feelings, but did she really know what Kouga's were? Kagome calling to Julia again brought her out of her thoughts and she hurried in after them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Didn't know Kouga had a softer side did ya…okay maybe you did if you saw the episode about the hair monster that I mentioned above…and no, I don't mean Yura…

Reviews are always welcome…always…no really…review please….


	5. Fish Anyone?

Update: Chapter edited.

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, usual disclaimer

A/N: Yeah, hmmm, nothing really to say about this chapter except that I like it…Fish anyone?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Five: Fish Anyone?

The stories had lasted well into the night, and it was late morning before everyone really got going with their day. After a quick bite to eat the group decided that it was time to get down to business. Kouga jumped in first with an idea to ambush Naraku, which was quickly shot down by Inu Yasha. More plans were thrown out only to be tossed away again a moment later. Julia watched everyone as they were arguing, but really had nothing to add. She wanted to help but honestly had no idea how she might be able to. She did not know the land, she had no idea what Naraku was capable of, and she didn't really know what her companions' strengths were, either. So, deciding that she had had enough of their arguments she once again snuck outside the den.

Stretching as she walked into the late morning light she took in the sight of the valley in the day light. It was magnificent. Taking a look around at the guards that Kouga had placed around the cave she decided that it would be safe enough to do a little exploring.

She walked along the ledge until she found a small path leading to the base of the falls. She could feel the mist coming off the falls as she got closer to the bottom, but in the warm morning light it felt refreshing. After exploring the base of the falls she began to walk downstream taking in the beauty around her with every step. But as she walked her thoughts turned to the events of the previous night. She had thought Kouga to be an obnoxious prick, but he had turned out to be a decent guy. Was it possible that Sesshoumaru could also be a decent guy? Kagome seemed to feel that he was becoming one, but after the way he had acted yesterday she could not see what it was that Kagome had seen in him. He was horrible. Sure, he had come in at just the right moment and managed to save possibly all of their lives, but he was so mean about it. He acted like he was some kind of infallible god.

"Women should know their place," she mumbled under her breath in an imitation of Sesshoumaru. He should know his place. If he really was Lord of the Western Lands, or what ever his title was, he should know how to treat people. _Just because he is godlike in appearance does not give him the right to act like one._ If only he would drop the ego and help then her new friends might actually make it out of this situation in one piece.

Realizing that she had gone father down the river than she had intended to Julia was about to turn around when she heard splashing and what she thought sounded like giggling. Curiosity winning over fear she decided to go check it out. As she walked around the bend in the river she saw a young girl standing about knee deep in the water concentrating very hard on something. She then watched as the little girl reached into the water and tossed to the shore a rather large fish in one swift motion.

"That was great!" cheered Julia as she clapped and walked towards the little girl. But the girl seemed frightened by her appearance and quickly began making her way to the shore. "Wait!" Julia called. "Please don't go, I'm not going to harm you." Julia knelt to the ground, hoping to appear less menacing to the small child. It seemed to work, as the child was no longer attempting to run away. "My name is Julia, what's yours?" she asked with a smile.

"Rin," came the small reply.

"That is a very pretty name, Rin," Julia complimented. "I was just hoping you could show me how to catch a fish like that. You must be quite an expert." Julia bowed her head slightly to show she was serious about it, and was rewarded with a small smile upon looking up at the girl.

"You really think I am good at catching fish?" asked Rin, obviously trying to contain her excitement at being complimented.

"Yes," replied Julia honestly, "what you did was really quite amazing."

"Okay, Rin will show you how," responded the little girl with a big smile now gracing her lips, "but first you have to get in the water."

"Sounds good," replied Julia as she took off her shoes and socks, rolled up her jeans, and took off her jacket. Remembering that her watch was not waterproof she quickly stowed it in her pocket. Wading in, the water only came up to her mid calf, but the chill it caused reached all the way up to her back. "Now what?" she asked, trying not to let the discomfort from the chilly water show, knowing she would get used to it in a minute or so.

"You have to bend over like this and be real still." Julia imitated the little girl's posture, but squatted a little to be closer to the waters surface.

"Like this?" Rin nodded to show her approval.

"Then you have to wait for the fish. Once the fish is right below you have to reach in really fast, grab the fish and throw it to shore so it can't wriggle free," explained the little girl. _Seems simple enough, _thought Julia as she carefully watched the water beneath her. As a fish neared she readied her stance and stretched her fingers in preparation for the catch. _Now!_ she thought as she plunged her hands into the water, only to come up empty-handed and close to falling over backwards. Julia heard giggles off to her side.

"This is harder than it looks," Julia mumbled, "I could have sworn that fish was right there."

"The water makes it look closer than it is," explained Rin, "the fish is actually really close to the bottom, my papa taught me that."

"Okay. Well, let me give it another shot." Julia assumed the position and waited. As another fish came swimming her way she prepared and as she plunged her hands back into the water she was surprised to find them come into contacted with the soft slimy surface of the fish. Before it could escape she closed her hands around it and tossed it in the direction of the shore.

"You did it, you did it!" Rin cheered and clapped with delight.

"I did, didn't I?" She was still a little amazed that she had done it herself. Rin started to head for the shore and Julia followed.

"You should come with me now," said the little girl, picking up her fish. "I want you to meet someone."

"Oh, I don't know, Rin. I should probably get back to my companions," answered Julia, thinking that she may have been gone a little too long. She reached into her pocket and retrieved her watch. _I really should be heading back…_

"Oh please," Rin begged, "I know he will like you." The little girl smiled at Julia and grabbed her hand, trying to urge her on.

"Alright, but just for a little while," Julia agreed. She just could not say no. She tied her jacket around her waist and tied her shoe laces together so she could let her shoes hang from her shoulders. Her feet were not quite dry yet so she figured she'd go barefoot for a little while. She then picked up the fish she had just caught and followed Rin into the forest. _Who could Rin want me to meet?_ Julia supposed it might be the little girl's father, as she had spoken of him a moment ago, and she did say the person was a 'he.' _Oh well. Guess there's only one way to find out._

---------------------------------------

It was starting to get past noon and Sesshoumaru was beginning to wonder what had happen to Rin and Jaken. They had set out quite a while ago to procure food for the little girl and should have been back by now. Normally he would have trusted Jaken completely, but after Rin had been abducted by Kagura a couple of months back Sesshoumaru was not really certain what his servant was capable of. He then caught the scent he had been waiting for. Rin was on her way back, but…not with Jaken. _I know that scent…but why would that woman be with Rin? No. It cannot be her._

"Lord Sesshoumaru, Lord Sesshoumaru!" cried the little girl as she burst into the clearing. "I made a new friend!" Then, following close behind his ward, came the very person he knew it must be. The confused look on her face echoed his thoughts completely, but he had a much better handle on how to mask his thoughts.

She had removed her shoes and walked barefoot like Rin with her pants rolled up to her knees. The outer garment she had worn earlier was now around her waist, revealing a top that showed all of her arms and emphasized her bosom. The jewel shard still hung about her neck. Some of her hair had escaped the binding she used and now framed her face. She was definitely _not_ a child like the girl Inu Yasha fawned over, she was definitely a woman, but in her current state of dress she looked the part of a child.

"This is Julia," continued Rin, cutting in on his thoughts, "she is really nice. She said I was an expert fish catcher, and let me teach her how to fish." She then ran over to Julia and dragged her closer to him. "See look at the fish she caught!" Rin said, pointing to the fish Julia was carrying. The woman, Julia, had not looked away from him since she had entered the clearing, but now glanced down at the fish she was holding.

"Here, Rin why don't you keep it," the woman said, handing the fish to Rin, "that way you both will have a fish," she said as she indicated Sesshoumaru as the other person she was talking about.

"No, Lord Sesshoumaru does not eat human food," Rin said as she took the fish. "Why don't you stay for lunch? Then I can show you how to _cook_ the fish, too." Sesshoumaru only looked on as Julia tried to answer. He could see that she did not desire to stay because of him, but she seemed to like Rin.

"I don't know if that is such a good idea Rin," the woman said. "I'm sure it is too short notice for a lunch guest, you and Sesshoumaru probably-"

"No," interrupted Rin. "Lord Sesshoumaru doesn't mind, he does not eat with me anyway. Right, Lord Sesshoumaru? Can she stay?" the little girl asked, looking up to him. He looked down at Rin and then over to Julia, but did not answer either way. He wanted to see what the woman's response would be. However, he got the feeling that she may have seen something of his thoughts because her eyes changed from being uncertain to displaying their usual stubbornness.

"Alright, Rin," she answered as she grabbed the little girl's hand and walked over to the fire pit. Sesshoumaru watched as Rin found two long sticks and Julia started a fire. She would cast a backwards glance at him from time to time, but she did not address him.

"My Lord Sesshoumaru," cried a voice from outside the clearing, "I am sorry, but that human seems to have eluded me again." It was Jaken, finally having returned from searching for Rin. Sesshoumaru could see the fear in his servant's eyes turn to surprise as he saw Rin and yet another human sitting over by the fire staring at him. Rin giggled and whispered something to Julia, something about not liking the little toad demon. Sesshoumaru knew that Rin would not want anything bad to happen to Jaken, but the little girl did not like him.

"Jaken," he stated, bringing the toad demon out of his surprised stupor.

"Yes, me Lord?" the little toad demon replied, obviously waiting for the worst.

"Feed Ah-Un."

"Yes, me Lord," he replied once more and walked over to where the two headed dragon had been lazily napping. Sesshoumaru then turned his attention back to the humans. Rin was explaining to Julia how to position the fish over the fire so that they did not burn. Sesshoumaru could tell that Julia already knew what the little girl was telling her, but the woman listened intently anyway. Rin then sat next to her and poked the fire with an extra stick that she had found. Sesshoumaru moved to lean against a tree opposite the fire so that he could observe the two more comfortably.

"Julia, you are human right?" asked Rin, looking at Julia with her big brown eyes.

"Yes, of course I am, Rin," replied Julia, seemingly amused by the question. "I seem to be getting that question a lot. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it is just that your hair is the color of the sun, and I have never seen another human with that color hair before," explained the little girl. She then grabbed Julia's head and looked closely into her eyes. "Your eyes are pretty, too." Julia brought her own hands up, gently removed Rin's hands from her face, and placed them in her lap.

"Well, they are not so special, Rin. There are lots of people who have my coloring where I am from." Julia told the little girl with a smile.

"And where is that?" Julia's smile did not fall, but Sesshoumaru did not miss the glance she threw his way. _Yes,_ he thought _where _are_ you from?_

"Well, it is a place far west of here." _What kind of answer is that?_

"Oh," replied Rin. "Have you eaten fish like this before?" _Obviously, the kind of answer she knew would satisfy a child's curiosity._

Sesshoumaru only listened to the rest of their conversation with the fringe of his hearing. Talks of flowers and fish did not interest him. He did, however, keep a watchful eye on the pair. Julia would smile at Rin and answer all of her questions, but an occasional glance down at her wrist would cause a momentary frown to appear on her face. _What can she be looking at?_ It looked as though she wore a bracelet of some sort, but why it would be special Sesshoumaru could not tell.

After the glance she sent his way when Rin asked where she was from, the woman seemed to forget he even existed. She never spoke to him or looked at him, and when Rin brought up something having to do with him she acted as though he was not present.

"Well Rin, it has been fun, but I think I should get back to my friends now." Julia suddenly said as she glanced down at her wrist again.

"Do you have to?" asked Rin, obviously wanting her new friend to stay.

"Yes," replied Julia, putting her footwear back on and returning her pants to their original length. "I'm afraid they might get worried and come looking for me. Kind of like how you don't want Sesshoumaru to worry about you, right?"

"Yeah, you are right," agreed Rin.

"Thanks for showing me how to catch fish." Julia added as she stood and gave Rin a hug.

"Can you come play with me again?"

"If I can, I definitely will," replied Julia, smiling at Rin again, "but I have to go, so good bye for now." The woman waved to Rin and began walking out of the clearing without even acknowledging him. Rin waved back to her until she cleared the trees and turned towards him.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, Julia will come again won't she?" Rin asked, her eyes wide with hope. Sesshoumaru did not know the answer to that question. This woman, Julia, did seem to keep popping into his presence.

"Rin, wait here with Jaken," he replied and then leapt off into the trees.

She had not gone far when he found her. He waited above her in a tree watching her hesitantly move forward. Then it suddenly struck him what her problem was.

"The river is that way," he said, dropping down in front of her and pointing to his right. She was startled momentarily, but her typical fire returned to her face the moment she recognized him.

"I know that, I was just…" he raised an eyebrow at her quizzically, "…it is just that Rin didn't take the most direct path to your camp. And since when are you speaking to me?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused by her question.

"You didn't say anything when I arrived with Rin, and you were silent the entire time I was there," the woman explained.

"I did not have anything to say," he replied. "Besides, the idle chat of humans does not interest me."

"So that's why Rin talks so much." She was mumbling, but he could clearly hear her. She was back-talking him again!

"What is that supposed to mean?" She looked up at him, seemingly surprised that he had heard her.

"You know what?" she began with, in his opinion, a highly exaggerated sigh. "It doesn't matter. You would not understand, and I don't feel like wasting my breath on you. You said the river was that way?" she pointed to the direction he had indicated earlier and began to walk away.

"I did _not_ give you permission to leave." Sesshoumaru said as he grabbed her arm. She stopped and looked at the hold on her arm.

"Do you honestly think that will work on me?" she asked, defiance clear in her voice.

"Do you honestly think that will work on me a second time?" he asked, knowing full well she was referring to her escape on their first encounter.

"I'd be willing to try," she shot back.

"You would fail," he replied calmly. She stared at him for a moment, then let her arm fall limp.

"Look, I don't have time for this childishness right now. What is it that you want?" she asked, sounding almost as bored as he normally did. _That's new_ he thought, and then…_Wait a minute, did she just call me a child?!_ He was about to question her about it and realized that she was baiting him.

"You will tell me what you meant," he demanded, releasing her arm.

"Why?" she asked, pulling the binding she used in her hair out and allowing it to fall freely about her face. She then crossed her arms. "You are Lord of the Western Lands. You don't care what a human thinks, let alone a woman. A woman should know her place, right?" She was obviously throwing his words from yesterday back in his face, and she was right, he should not care. So why did he?

"I will not explain my actions to you," he replied.

"Fine, you want to know what I meant, then I'll tell you." she spat out and then took a deep breath. "I meant that you obviously care so little for others' opinions that you will not consider lowering yourself to their level to hear them out. Rin, for example, talked so much this afternoon that it was obvious she does not do so on a regular basis. She obviously loves you as some sort of hero and would follow you to the ends of the earth, but you apparently do not consider it your station to converse with her. Humans are worthless, humans are beneath you, humans are not worth your time, and yet here I see you taking care of one, or at least trying to. You-"

"Enough! You don't know what you are talking about," he interrupted, having had quite enough of her insults.

"You said that once before, but I think I do," she shot back. "You may be a Lord, but you have _no_ idea of how to treat people."

"I said _enough,_" he repeated.

"This is exactly what I mean," she continued. "You ask me what I think and then you try to shoot me down when you don't like what I have to say. Like I said before, it is a waste of time to even try to speak with you." She turned to leave, and he should have let her go, but he could not.

"I have not given you leave yet," he stated as he turned towards her.

"Do I really look like I care?" she shot back as she spun around to face him.

"Why does Naraku want you?" he asked, ignoring her taunt. He would regain control over this situation. He would not let her words affect him.

"I told you before I don't know," she replied, sighing heavily in the process. "I have a jewel shard and maybe that is why. I really don't know."

"I think I do," he replied, getting the look of surprise he had hoped for. "Naraku wants to know where you come from, and now it appears that he cannot take that shard from you by force. You are a mystery to him, and I'm sure he does not like being in the dark anymore than I do."

"I don't know why the shard is doing that, but why would my place of origin be special?" she asked crossing her arms once more.

"Your coloring, your odd garb, your strange speech, and your name are all different from anything I have ever seen or heard, and I guarantee that Naraku has noticed those differences as well." Sesshoumaru replied, reveling in her continued surprise. "I know many dialects, but the language you used when we first met was completely new to me." He walked over to stand directly in front of her so that he could look her in the eyes. "Tell me where it is you come from that you do not even know of the great Lord of the West?"

"Like I told Rin, I come from a place far west of here," she replied never looking away, and then she smiled. But, it was not the happy smile she had used with Rin, it was one full of mischief. "Besides, it won't matter once Inu Yasha and the rest defeat Naraku, which would go a lot smoother if you would work together with them." So that was her game.

"I have no desire to work with that incompetent half breed," he replied.

"He is not incompetent, at least not that I have seen, and you two would have had Naraku if he had not run away," she continued. "If you two actually decided to work together Naraku would not stand a chance."

"This conversation is over." She was not going to lecture him on what to do.

"Fine," she said tersely and turned to leave, "God, I swear it is in one ear and out the other. Why do I even bother?" she once again mumbled to herself.

"Are you trying to anger me?" he asked, knowing full well that she had meant for him to hear her. She turned and smiled at him, but it was a fake smile.

"Why no of course not, oh great and powerful lord. I would _never_ wish to displease you," she said in an all too sweet voice and giving him a mock bow. "I will now take my leave of you." She turned once again and walked primly towards the river. Sesshoumaru only stared. _Why was it that he didn't just kill her for her insolence?_ There was the connection to Naraku true, but was there something else?

He walked casually back into the clearing where his servants and Rin waited for him. Jaken waited silently for instruction next to Ah-Un and Rin sat near the now lifeless fire pit playing some sort of game. He once again wondered why it was that he had saved her. Was it really only to test his sword's capabilities? She had been kind to him and had not been frightened of him. She possessed the same kind of fearlessness that this Julia seemed to have.

"Rin," the little girl looked up expectantly at him when she heard her name, "what do you think of Julia?" And he was asking because he wanted to know, it had nothing to do with what Julia had said to him. But then, why was it he had never cared before? Seeing the little girl's huge, surprised smile almost made him wonder if he should have done so sooner. _Gods, this woman would make him soft if he was not careful._

---------------------------------------

Julia finally found the river and started to march back towards the wolf den mumbling to her self the entire way.

"Stupid…arrogant…pompous…oh, he irritates me so, but…" she halted her march in midstep and turned to look back towards Sesshoumaru's camp. "But he did save that sweet little girl, and she appears to be happy with him…" She shook her head. This guy was so hard to figure out. He reminded her of a typical snobbish prince from some old fairy tale who eventually learned his lesson…but what could cause Sesshoumaru to figure it all out?

"Enjoying the scenery?" a sudden voice startled her out of her thoughts, but she knew to whom it belonged.

"Yes Kouga," she replied calmly not turning to him, "it is really beautiful here."

"The others were worried about you, so I offered to come find you," the wolf said as he walked up to her. "You know, since I am the fastest after all." His voice was laced with ego.

"I know it is late." Julia turned towards him. "There was a minor distraction on my little exploration."

"Sesshoumaru?" he asked, looking at her questioningly.

"How did you know?" He simply tapped his nose and waited for her to explain, she really had to remember that heightened-senses-thing around her new demon companions. So, she told him about running into Rin down river and the child's insisting that she follow her. "Time got away from me as I was playing with Rin, and then I tried to convince Sesshoumaru to work with Inu Yasha, but he would not listen. So, I left." Kouga only stared back at her wide eyed. "What? It's the truth."

"Oh, I don't doubt it," he replied, shaking his head a bit. "It is just hard to imagine Sesshoumaru letting a human talk to him so and then letting them leave with their life." So Kouga believed him to be a monster as well…she was just not seeing it. Arrogant yes, a snob yes, full of him self to the breaking point yes, but she just could not see him killing without a purpose, and certainly not for a purpose as silly as talking back to him.

"So, what did you guys decide today?" she asked as they walked back to the den.

"That I will keep my shards until we defeat Naraku, as they are safer and more useful there anyhow." Kouga gave her a sad smile. She remembered that that had been a subject of great argument this morning. Inu Yasha wanted them now so that all of the shards they had would be together and safe, but of course Kouga wanted to keep them. Kagome must have finally convinced Inu Yasha that that was the best course of action. She knew Kouga prided himself on being the fastest of his pack and that losing them would be hard for him.

"They will still respect you without them," she added after his explanation. He looked at her, obviously not sure what she was talking about initially before comprehension dawned on his face.

"My men are loyal, and they will follow me because I am their leader, but…" he paused in his speech and looked at her, "but, will I be able to protect them as I have been?"

"I'm sure you will, Kouga," she replied softly, knowing that this was touchy subject with him. "From what the others have told me you are an incredible fighter, and I am sure you will remain so even without the shards." For some reason she found herself speaking to him as she believed a sister might address her brother, comforting him, encouraging him. "Besides, once Naraku is gone you guys will have nothing to worry about, right?" she added as she gave him a small punch in the arm. Kouga smiled at her and nodded.

"You are a strange woman, Julia." he replied, rubbing the spot she had punched though she knew there was no way she could have hurt him.

"I know," she admitted, "but you'll get used to it." She smiled and then, seeing the path to the wolf den up ahead, got an idea. "I'll race you to the top, but no cheating!" She then took off running. She knew Kouga was initially shocked, but he quickly came out of it and started to catch up. She did not care if she won or not, but it was a way to get Kouga out of his mood. She had to admit that she actually liked the wolf demon, probably because she understood him now. _I wonder if I'll ever understand Sesshoumaru?_ she thought as Kouga began to over take her.

---------------------------------------

Rin had prattled on about how nice Julia was and how she wished that she would come back to play with her. Sesshoumaru had listened to her as they walked through the forest, though he had also been thinking of another matter. Finally he had come to a decision.

"Jaken." The toad-like demon immediately appeared before him. "Take Rin back to the castle and wait there for me." Sesshoumaru turned to go back towards the wolves' den.

"You wish me to leave you, Lord Sesshoumaru?" asked Jaken, anguish apparent in his voice.

"I don't want to leave you, Lord Sesshoumaru!" added Rin in a sad voice. He merely glared at Jaken and the little demon bowed his head in resignation. He then turned to Rin.

"Do this for me, Rin."

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru," agreed the little girl, standing to attention with a smile on her face.

Sesshoumaru changed into a shimmering ball of blue light and took off towards the wolves' den. He would wait for the opportune moment to strike Naraku, but he would not work with Inu Yasha. His half-brother had let him down before and did not deserve a second chance in Sesshoumaru's eyes. Rin would be safe at his castle, so now all he needed to do was focus on Naraku's destruction. That woman did not know him. He did not need anyone's help, and why should he care about those worth less than he? Yes, he would kill Naraku, and wherever his worthless half breed of a brother was, Naraku was sure to show up.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Don't you just love Rin, so innocent, so naïve, so good at bringing two people together. And Kouga, you gotta love Kouga. I realize of all of the characters that he is probably the most out of character, but you have to know there is more to him that what is shown on screen or in the manga. So, yeah, please don't go off on "Kouga would never do that" or "Kouga would never say that" cause I guarantee that there will be moments where you will think that. But, believe me if you have seen the Anime, at least, as far as the episodes I had listed in the A/N in the first chapter you'll see that there really is something else to Kouga. This story just contains my interpretation of it. Okay time to stop rambling. Now go review…


	6. Truce

Update: Chapter Edited.

Disclaimer: Usual stuff, I don't own Inu Yasha and co.

A/N: Yeah, like this would happen…well it could I suppose…

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Six: Truce

Sesshoumaru waited near enough to the wolf den so that he would know what was going on, but made sure he was far enough away that no one would pick up on his presence. It was nearing dawn and he knew that Inu Yasha and his group would, more than likely, be making a move sometime soon. However, all was still quiet….except for…he quickly turned towards the direction he had sent Rin and Jaken off to the previous day to see a small dot flying towards him. It was Jaken flying atop Ah-Un, repeatedly calling his name.

"Of all the incompetent…" Sesshoumaru mumbled to himself as he sped off to stop Jaken.

He appeared right in front of the two-headed dragon, causing it to come to a complete stop and almost send Jaken out of the saddle.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," Jaken cried, trying to get properly seated again.

"Jaken, what are you doing?" he asked, letting a little anger show in his voice.

"Please Lord Sesshoumaru, do not be angry with me!" cried the little demon, finally regaining his seat. "They have taken her! I tried to stop them, but there were just too many." Sesshoumaru stared at his servant and for the first time noticed that Jaken was badly injured. He had large lump on his head and a gash on his cheek. Sesshoumaru could see small spots of blood on Jaken's now-tattered clothes.

"What happened?" Sesshoumaru demanded.

"Rin and I were traveling to the castle, as you instructed, when we were set upon by a horde of demons commanded by that young human whelp Naraku has bespelled. We tried to flee from them, but they were just too fast. We landed and I tried to protect Rin but that boy used the other demons as cover and captured her. He then threw this at me…and then they all retreated." Jaken held out a small dagger with a message attached. "Please forgive me Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken wailed once more, but Sesshoumaru ignored him, took the dagger from him, and began reading the letter.

_Lord Sesshoumaru, it pains me to resort to such tricks again, but you are interfering with my plans. Unlike last time I have no desire to draw you to me, so if you attempt to come and rescue the girl, I will order her death. If you aide Inu Yasha, I will order her death. Stay out of this matter, or the girl will die. I will return her to you when this matter is concluded._

There was no signature, but Sesshoumaru had no doubt who it was from. _Damn Naraku!_ Sesshoumaru's first impulse was to track the half-demon down and make him pay for thinking that he could manipulate Sesshoumaru in this manner, but he knew that Naraku had written the truth. Naraku had wanted him to come to him last time, but this time Rin was as good as dead if he tried to go get her. _Do I want her back?_ Sesshoumaru wondered. _True, my life would be simpler without her…but…_ The demon lord thought about her gap-toothed smile when she had first tried to help him after Inu Yasha had wounded him. Her joy at his inquiry as to what had happened to her when she came to him wounded. He was not sure what it was he was feeling, but he knew he did not like it.

_Yes_ Sesshoumaru decided, _I want her back._ He shook away his uncomfortable feelings, and focused on his outrage at Naraku. _How dare that Naraku? How dare he take what belongs to this Sesshoumaru?_ Yes, he would save Rin. He would make Naraku regret playing with him, but first he had to make sure his brother did not make matters worse for Rin.

However, doing that without Naraku being aware of what was going on would be difficult. Somehow Naraku knew of their movements, of that Sesshoumaru was sure. He was just not sure how extensive Naraku's network of spies was, or if the half-demon had some other means of surveillance. Sesshoumaru could tell that Inu Yasha's little group had already gotten underway, but how long would it be before Naraku struck?

Jaken was currently rearranging the saddlebags atop Ah-Un, which had come loose during his frantic flight to find Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru could see that the little demon had apparently calmed down; probably because he realized that he was not going to be punished. _How do I tell Inu Yasha…the saddle bags!_ Sesshoumaru moved Jaken aside and searched through the bags. _There it is._ He pulled out a piece of Rin's parchment, and her ink, and began writing a quick note.

"Jaken, take this to the wolf's den and tell one of Kouga's men to deliver it to Inu Yasha," he ordered his servant as he returned the ink to the saddle bag, "and if they don't listen to you, tell them their leader will not live to see the next sunrise if the note isn't delivered." Sesshoumaru handed the letter to Jaken and stoically watched him ride off towards the wolf den.

Sesshoumaru had a plan, but it depended on Naraku holding off on an attack, Kouga's men getting the letter to Inu Yasha, and Inu Yasha actually doing as he was commanded. The odds were definitely _not_ in Sesshoumaru's favor, but he would have to take the risk.

Naraku was not going to win…he was going to see to that. Nobody used Sesshoumaru!

Julia walked along with the others. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon as they began their journey towards where they believed Naraku was hiding. Kagome thought that heading back to the place she had been taken to when she was captured was as good a place to start as any. There was a possibility that Naraku was still there, and if not then it would be the best place to try and figure out where to go next.

They had just reached the foot of the mountain path that led down to the valley where Kaede's village lay when Julia heard the sound of fast feet behind her. Turning, she saw that Kouga and Inu Yasha had already turned to investigate, as they had taken up the rear of the company. Within seconds Hakaku and Ginta came grinding to a stop before them.

"Kouga…you're…safe…" panted Ginta between deep breaths.

"Here," said Hakaku, just as out of breath. He handed a letter to Inu Yasha and then promptly fell to the ground.

"What is going on?" barked Kouga, clearly as puzzled as the rest of the group.

"This is from Sesshoumaru!" exclaimed Inu Yasha, "Where did you get this?"

"That little green demon that travels with him told us that unless we got that to Inu Yasha immediately that you would be killed," answered Ginta, finally breathing normally again.

"I would be killed?" echoed Kouga. His two men only nodded to him.

Julia looked over at Inu Yasha, who had unfolded the letter from his brother. His face was a myriad of emotions. Confusion, uncertainty, curiosity, all played across his face as he read the letter.

"What does it say?" asked Kagome, as she approached him. He handed her the letter and waited for her to finish reading it

"There must be a good reason for this." She waved the letter to indicate what she was talking about. "I think we should do it." She handed to letter to Miroku and Sango who also agreed. Surprisingly, they then handed her the letter. As she read its content Julia was thoroughly amazed.

_Inu Yasha, a new development has occurred. You will meet me at the cave west of the family home. Do not delay. –Sesshoumaru _

"Do you know of what place he speaks?" Julia heard Miroku ask as she handed the letter back to Kagome. Inu Yasha nodded, but said no more. "Then if we are agreed, shall we go?"

"Maybe I should go alone? It could be a trap." Inu Yasha looked mainly at Kagome as he said this, worry evident in his features.

"No," responded Kagome quickly, "we are NOT letting you go there alone. We work together, Sesshoumaru knows that. Besides…I don't think this is a trap."

"How do you know?" asked Sango.

"I don't," Kagome responded simply. "It's more of a…feeling. I mean, why would he have Jaken deliver the letter to the wolf den and not directly to us?" Julia could see the pondering looks on the others' faces, and she had to admit Kagome had a point.

"Fine," replied Inu Yasha as he walked ahead of the group. "We should get there by nightfall if we don't stop. Kagome." He held out his hand to her. She immediately walked to him and hopped onto his back. Kirara transformed, and Sango climbed on, motioning to Julia to join her. She did so with Shippou hitching a ride on her shoulder. But, something seemed off.

"Sango, can Miroku really keep up with Inu Yasha and Kouga?" she asked. Sango turned to look at her as if to assure her that he could, but stopped.

"Under normal circumstances he could, but we will be traveling all day…" Sango said quietly, and then added a bit louder, "Miroku why don't you ask Kouga for a ride?" Julia could see a smile in Sango's eyes as she said this. Then looking over at Miroku she saw why. Miroku appeared to turn a bit green at the thought of climbing onto Kouga's back, _a womanizer through and through_ thought Julia with a sigh.

"Yeah, come on Miroku," taunted Inu Yasha.

"Wait a minute, here!" cried Kouga. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Julia shouted. These kids were too much. "I'll go with Kouga, if he doesn't mind, and then Miroku can ride with Sango." Kouga nodded vigorously and Miroku's color returned. Julia hopped off of Kirara's back and placed Shippou in her spot. As she passed Miroku he smiled gratefully at her and quickly went to take her spot behind Sango.

"It's been a while since the last time I had a piggy back ride." Julia commented as she climbed onto Kouga's back. "Thanks for the lift." The wolf-demon smiled at her and helped her adjust herself so that they were both comfortable.

"Can we go now?" whined Inu Yasha, before he bounded into the trees with Kirara following close behind.

"Hang on." was all the warning Julia got before Kouga took off at a full run after them. Following his instruction she tightened her grip around his shoulders and ducked her head behind his. _I'm definitely _not_ going to be seeing any scenery on this trip._

---------------------------------------------

"Soooo, do we follow them?" ask Ginta after the others had left the clearing. It was just like Kouga to ignore them.

"I don't even know where they were going," replied Hakaku.

"Soooo, ya wanna go hunt something then?"

"Sounds good to me."

The two wolf-demons wandered off into the forest, silently grateful at having been completely forgotten by the others.

-------------------------------------------

By early evening the group had reached a small canyon. As the sun set, its waning light did not make viewing the surroundings any easier. Kagome hoped that Inu Yasha really did know where he was going. _Granted, he can see better than I can, but I can't even tell what is a shadow and what isn't!_

"Inu Yasha." Kagome spoke softly to get his attention, and when an ear flicked back towards her she continued. "What is this place we are going to?"

"It's a place our father once took us when we were younger," he replied, his voice low. She could tell he was running those old memories through his head, probably trying to understand what purpose his brother could have for this meeting. She also realized that it was not a subject he wanted to discuss, so she dropped it.

Looking behind her she saw Sango, Miroku and Shippou flying close behind on Kirara. It looked like Miroku had a fresh slap mark on his face, though Kagome figured he was probably becoming immune to that by now. Kouga also trailed closely behind, Julia on his back. It looked as though they were talking, and whatever Julia had said had made the wolf-demon laugh. Kagome was grateful that Julia had taken charge of the situation at the start of the day. Julia definitely had a way of handling people. Kagome only wished that as she grew older she might learn some of the confidence that Julia possessed.

"We're almost there." She heard Inu Yasha call back to her. It was then that Kagome felt a chill run through her. _What was that?_ She turned to see if the others had felt something too. Sango and Miroku both nodded to her as if they had heard her unasked question.

"Inu Yasha, what was that?" she asked, now confident that the feeling had not been just her imagination.

"A barrier," came his reply.

"But, we passed right through. How was that a barrier?" Kagome asked, confused by his answer.

"It was not meant to keep _us_ out." He turned his head to look at her as best he could, "This situation is getting more and more interesting."

"Why is that?"

"That barrier is the same type that's used to cloak my family home. It acts as a sort of shield. You can only pass through the barrier if the caster allows it. You cannot see what is beyond it, or hear anything said behind it." Kagome kept silent, not really sure what to make of this. "Sesshoumaru must want to make absolutely sure there is secrecy in some matter or he would not have gone this far. This could also be the reason the letter was not personally delivered to us. But…why?"

Inu Yasha was now focusing on the path ahead. Kagome was impressed by how calmly Inu Yasha was handling this situation. It was as if all the bad blood between the two brothers had disappeared. Even when he had claimed it might be a trap earlier she could tell he was not being serious about it. There was something about this place that had made Inu Yasha follow his brother's commands, but she had yet to figure out what that was. _Could it have had something to do with their father?_ Kagome wondered. Inu Yasha had turned his attention and thoughts inward once more, so Kagome let him be. He would tell her in time.

They continued on for a few more miles and finally came to an opening in the canyon. It seemed to open up into huge bowl shape with a dead end opposite of them. Looking around she could see that the cul de sac was littered with caves and she wondered which one Sesshoumaru had been referring to. Inu Yasha stopped and knelt so that Kagome could easily touch the ground. Kouga did the same for Julia, and Kirara landed, allowing Miroku and Sango to dismount. Shippou, however, chose to stay with Kirara.

"You would bring humans here, Inu Yasha?" Kagome heard a voice ask as she was about to ask Inu Yasha what to do next. All eyes turned towards the owner of the voice. Sesshoumaru floated gracefully down from one of the higher caves and stood before them as impassive as ever.

"They are my _friends_, Sesshoumaru, not just humans," shot back Inu Yasha. "Besides, you allowed them to pass. You could have set that barrier so that they would be stopped." Sesshoumaru only glared at him and seemed to ignore Inu Yasha's insight.

"What did you want, Sesshoumaru?" Was Inu Yasha actually being civil? There was no anger in his voice, some impatience, but none of the usual cockiness that he displayed around his older half-brother.

"I desired to speak with you without being over heard," replied Sesshoumaru, using the same monotone as always.

"Yeah, I kind of figured _that_ out, but why?"

"Naraku has taken something of mine," replied Sesshoumaru. His face was unreadable, but Kagome could tell that he was not happy with having to talk with Inu Yasha. "Naraku will destroy it if I go after it, or if I inadvertently aide you when he attacks."

"So, why not just sit back and let me kill Naraku? It's not like I wanted your help in the first place." Kagome could see that Inu Yasha was enjoying the fact that his brother had come to him. She just hoped that he would not let his pride get in the way of his reason.

"Because you, little brother," shot back Sesshoumaru, putting an added emphasis on the 'little', "might cause what is mine to be…damaged." Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, as if to calm himself. "Naraku also wishes to use me as a pawn in his game, and _no one_ attempts to use this Sesshoumaru." Inu Yasha had folded his arms across his chest and seemed to be weighing what Sesshoumaru had told them. Kagome still wished she understood the significance of this place and why it would cause the two brothers to act in such a civilized manner, but at this point she was just grateful that it did.

"So, what is it that you want?" asked Inu Yasha.

"A truce." The words shocked all present. Kagome looked at the others and knew that her mouth must be just as wide open as theirs. But Inu Yasha merely looked back at his brother, waiting. "Naraku seems to have eyes and ears everywhere. If you were to attempt an attack on him he would know of your plans and be prepared for it, and you would fail. That is why I called you here, a place that is not directly associated with me, so that I could tell you my plan."

"What makes you think we would follow your plan? We don't owe you anything," replied Inu Yasha. Sesshoumaru only stared back at him, his face unreadable. Kagome wanted to silence Inu Yasha and hear Sesshoumaru out. This was something that she had wanted to do ever since she realized that Naraku feared the two of them working together. But, somehow she felt it was not her place to argue with Inu Yasha here. The others had seemed to pick up on it as well and kept their distance from the brothers. Even Kouga had kept quiet, and for that Kagome was grateful. If only there was someway to make Inu Yasha understand that this may be the best way to beat Naraku. Then, almost as if in answer to her wishes, Inu Yasha bowed his head, took a deep breath, and then looked back up at Sesshoumaru. "What is this plan of yours?"

For an instant Kagome thought she saw some emotion flash across Sesshoumaru's face, but what that emotion was she could not say.

"Naraku wishes to destroy you, and your human friends, and obtain the remaining pieces of the Jewel of Four Souls. Whether or not he accomplishes the first, I care not." _Not the best way to get us to help him_ thought Kagome.

Sesshoumaru continued. "However, Naraku must not be allowed to complete the jewel. He is an already an annoyance, and with that extra power he would become even more of an annoyance, an annoyance that I do not want in my lands. Already he has more power than should be allowed to such filth, but because of that power he has become bolder. He no longer sends his puppets out to do his dirty work - he now comes to gloat in person." Sesshoumaru paused for a moment and Kagome could see that Inu Yasha was growing impatient. She hoped that Sesshoumaru would get to whatever point he was making quickly.

"So here is what you will do," Sesshoumaru finally stated. "You will _not_ take the fight to him. You will wait for him to come to you. When he is gone from his hideout I will take back what is mine." He stopped then and waited for Inu Yasha to respond.

"You want us to wait around for Naraku to attack us?" Inu Yasha questioned. "Be your bait so that you can get what you want and then go on your merry way?" Kagome could see the anger growing in Inu Yasha's face and hear it in his tone. She could understand why, his brother's plan sounded as if it involved using them and then throwing them away. Inu Yasha hated being used just as much as his brother - he would never agree to this.

"No," replied Sesshoumaru, his voice as level as always. "Once I have what is mine, as much as I loath to do so, I will work with you to destroy Naraku. I am many things, Inu Yasha, but I am _not_ like Naraku." She could see that Inu Yasha looked as though he might launch into another 'We don't need your help' speech so Kagome stepped forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. Inu Yasha looked back at her. She motioned her head towards the others and hoped he would understand. She saw understanding reach his eyes as he nodded curtly and turned back to his brother.

"I will talk with my friends."

"Fine, but do not leave the barrier," Sesshoumaru replied in a very bored tone. With that he leapt back up to the ledge he'd been previously waiting for them on and disappeared inside a cave. Inu Yasha watched him go and then turned back towards the others.

"So, what do you think Inu Yasha?" Miroku asked. Inu Yasha and Kagome now stood directly in front of Miroku and Sango. Kirara, with Shippou on her head, stood beside them, and Kouga and Julia completed the circle.

Inu Yasha did not immediately reply. Kagome could see that he was enduring some kind of internal battle. He knew as well as the others that having Sesshoumaru's help on this would make the probability of their success higher, but he did not want to admit to needing his brother's help.

"Yeah, dog-breath! What are you gonna do?" prompted Kouga. Kagome glared at him, but he did not look at her. His eyes were fixed on Inu Yasha, as were all the others'. It seemed as though they were leaving this decision up to him. _And with good reason_ she thought.

"Can we trust him?" asked Sango.

"Yes," replied Inu Yasha, looking up at her. "He wouldn't lie to me here. He will do as he says, but that means we will be bait. Do you want that?"

"If it means we can finally be rid of Naraku and freeing Kohaku," Sango paused and took a deep breath, "then yes, I don't mind playing the bait."

"Does he even know where to _find_ Naraku's hideout?" asked Kouga, arms crossed, looking smug as ever.

"I don't know," Inu Yasha shot back, "but if he doesn't now, he will. Sesshoumaru has my father's spy network at his command. Though, he doesn't use it often - he likes to think he is above needing their help." Inu Yasha rolled his eyes, indicating that it was nothing out of the ordinary.

"True," agreed Kagome softly, "this is why it is odd that he would come to you for help in this matter. What would Naraku be able to steal that is so important to Sesshoumaru?"

"I don't know," replied Inu Yasha, "and that's what I don't like about this." The others nodded as well.

"Hey," piped in Shippou, suddenly looking around. "Where'd Julia go?"

-----------------------------------------------

Julia was as stunned by Sesshoumaru's performance as the others were. She had watched him leap back up to the cliff, still in wonder at his actions. _He was so against working with Inu Yasha yesterday…what is it that Naraku has that would make him change his mind?_ She listened to the others for a moment, but they were not doing much talking initially. When Kouga made his comment she knew that everyone's attention would be on Inu Yasha, and she decided to slip off. Julia told herself it was to go see Rin, whom she assumed would be up in the cave that Sesshoumaru had disappeared into, but she knew she was more than just curious as to why Sesshoumaru had chosen to help them.

Reaching the base of the cliff, Julia noticed that there was a small pathway that climbed up to the ledge where Sesshoumaru now waited. She climbed it carefully in the failing light, picking her way along the side against the cliff's face, since she was unsure as to how wide the path actually was. Upon reaching the ledge she could see that the mouth of the cave was much bigger than she had thought it was from the ground. There was nothing on the outside that marked it as being any different from the others, so she wondered why it was that Sesshoumaru had chosen this one.

She could not see very far inside the cave, but decided that going in was the only way she was going to get any answers. Taking a deep breath, she began to walk into the cave. After a few steps she could see that there was a faint light starting to show deeper in the cave.

"Why are you here?" a voice came from the darkness, startling her. She jumped and turned only to come face-to-face with Sesshoumaru. At least, she thought it was him. He was outlined by the dwindling light outside the cave entrance, but she could not see his face.

"I came to see Rin," she replied evenly, her courage coming back to her. She hated dark places like this. He had really spooked her there for a second.

"She is not here," he replied, confirming that he was Sesshoumaru, "so leave." He began to move around her towards the back of the cave.

"Wait," she called after him. "Where is she, then? I promised her that I would come see her again if I could." He stopped; at least, Julia thought that he had stopped. She couldn't hear him moving anymore.

"Do you ever do what you are told?" he asked.

"Sometimes," she replied, placing her hands on her hips. "That depends on how I feel at the moment. And right now, I don't feel like listening." She could hear the swishing of fabric coming closer. Then, one of the last rays of the sun illuminated Sesshoumaru's brilliant golden eyes, causing Julia to inhale quickly in surprise. She had not realized that he was that close.

"Rin is what Naraku took." Julia's breathing stopped momentarily. It was Sesshoumaru's turning to leave that brought her back to reality.

"What!?" she cried and reached out to turn him back to her. He was _not_ going to just leave on that note. She reached out to grab his left arm, caught nothing but material, lost her balance and found herself falling forward.

---------------------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru instinctively reached out with his other arm to catch the woman before she hit the ground. She'd twisted as she fell and he now held her about her shoulders, face up. Despite the lack of light, the small amount of illumination coming from the back of the cave was enough for him to make out her features. She stared up at him, or at least, he figured, where she thought he was. She looked slightly shaken, and if he was not mistaken, surprised. Did she think he would let her hit the ground? Granted she was a human, and rude, and impertinent, and stubborn, but…_No_ _I _would_ have let her hit the ground in the past._

"Thank you," she said quietly into the darkness, shaking him out of his sudden realization. He quickly brought her back to her feet and released her as he took a step back from her. He was not even sure why he had told her of Rin's plight. He had hoped to keep that a secret. _It must be this place_ Sesshoumaru thought as he glanced around the cave. His father had been quite clever in creating this place, but this was the first time Sesshoumaru had used it since his father's death.

"What do you mean, Naraku has Rin?" The sudden question brought him out of his thoughts. He was amused that she had not said anything about her blunder in reaching for his missing arm, though he knew she must be too proud to admit it. He wondered if the others had told her how he'd lost it. He still cursed Inu Yasha to this day for doing it, but he had been enraged and taken off guard when that whelp had actually managed to transform the Tetsusaiga. He'd tried to get Tenseiga to heal his arm so that he could deal with Inu Yasha, but the sword had not responded. It was really only recently that the sword had started to obey him.

"Exactly what I said," he responded curtly.

"But …how?" she asked, disbelief obvious in her voice and on her face. Sesshoumaru was starting to become annoyed. It seemed as if she was thinking that he had failed somehow.

"I'd sent her back to my castle with Jaken," he explained, "and somewhere along the way one of Naraku's lackeys managed to kidnap Rin."

"Naraku has Rin?" chimed in another voice. Turning, Sesshoumaru could see that Inu Yasha and the rest were now standing at the mouth of the cave. It had been Inu Yasha's woman who had spoken, and who was now making her way towards them.

"What are you doing here?" he directed the question to the group.

"We were looking for Julia," responded the girl, now standing beside Julia. Julia smiled sheepishly, and shrugged her shoulders.

"And I came looking for Rin. Apparently, Naraku is holding Rin," Julia said softly. Sesshoumaru was sure she was trying to get the attention back to him and away from her.

"Well then, we will definitely help, right?" Kagome stated surely as she turned to her comrades for approval.

"Of course," replied Sango and Miroku. Sesshoumaru could see Kouga's silhouette shrug, but Inu Yasha had remained silent with no indication of his answer. Sesshoumaru knew that Inu Yasha could see almost as well as he could, so when his little brother walked straight towards him he was not surprised.

"We will help for the little girl's sake," Inu Yasha replied as he stopped right before him. "She did not need to be involved in any of this." Sesshoumaru stared back at his younger brother, wanting to shout "Hypocrite!" back in his face, but knew that he was beyond this child's game of name calling. _Let Inu Yasha think whatever he wants. What does it matter to me?_

"Uh, can we go back outside now?" asked Julia, who didn't wait for an answer. Instead, she grabbed Kagome by the arm and led her out, passing the other two humans. Inu Yasha turned and followed. Sesshoumaru wondered why the woman had even bothered to phrase it as a question in the first place, and also followed outside. It would be good to get the humans out of the cave anyway. "Now, _that's_ better!" he heard her exclaim as he exited the cave. She stretched and then stared up at the stars, a look of wonder written on her face.

"You will travel south," Sesshoumaru began, taking back control of the situation. "That will take you away from Naraku, and will make him to come to you. The woman and Kouga will come with me for safe keeping."

"Won't that be seen as helping us?" asked the monk.

"No," Sesshoumaru replied, annoyed that his plan was being questioned, "Naraku cannot track me, or anyone directly with me. Kouga does not always travel with you and it will not seem out of the ordinary if he is running alone. I will take them back to my castle where Naraku cannot find them."

"So they are safe, but how will you know when Naraku is on the attack?" This time it was the demon exterminator who spoke up, but she at least had a valid question.

"With these," Sesshoumaru replied, pulling a pair of small ornately decorated hand mirrors out of a small pouch tucked behind his sash. He saw the recognition in Inu Yasha's eyes. These were mirrors made so that Inu Yasha's mother could contact his father whenever she had needed to. "Tap three times on the surface of the glass and it will activate the link." Inu Yasha took one out of his hands with a 'hmph' and placed it inside of his fire-rat coat. Sesshoumaru knew he was angry with him for using a trinket of his mother's; he was always touchy when it came to her, but he was too proud to show it in front of his friends.

"Stay here tonight." Sesshoumaru continued. "Start south in the morning and the moment Naraku strikes, contact me. Let's go," he concluded as he turned towards Julia.

"What, we're leaving _now_?" she asked.

"Did you not understand my words?" he asked, annoyed that she was making him repeat himself.

"No, it's just that it is getting so late, shouldn't you rest awhile here, too?" she explained. "It has also been a long day for Kouga."

"I do not need to rest," Sesshoumaru retorted, offended that she would imply he was as weak as a human.

"I don't need to, either," replied Kouga. Sesshoumaru knew that as a weaker demon Kouga would need to rest more often than him, but the wolf should be able to make the journey to his castle, especially with the added power from the jewel shards in his legs.

"Awk, men," the woman sighed. "Well, guys, I guess this is good-bye for now. Be careful." She gave the girls and the small fox a hug, and then walked over to Kouga. "Ready?" she asked him.

"You are coming with me," interrupted Sesshoumaru. "You must be with me or Naraku will detect you." She stood there with her mouth formed in a silent 'oh.' Deciding he'd waited enough for these silly humans, Sesshoumaru walked over and scooped her up with his arm so that she was seated on it. This caused her to inhale sharply in surprise and throw her arms around his neck to gain her balance. The next instant he took off, but he knew that the wolf was close behind.

-----------------------------------------

"Well, that was interesting," commented Miroku as they all watched Sesshoumaru and Kouga disappear over the canyon wall. "Well…" he continued, "shall we set up camp in the cave?"

"No," shot out Inu Yasha. Granted, he felt very little love for his father, but this place was…well…special for him. It was the one place he ever really remembered feeling like they were all a family…even with Sesshoumaru. "Pick one of the other caves if you like, but stay out of this one."

"Okaaay," replied Miroku. Inu Yasha could tell that the monk was curious about his behavior, but he did not have to tell him anything. He considered Miroku a friend and he was definitely good to have around in a fight, but Inu Yasha was just not one to share his feelings, especially with an audience. "Well, then let's pick one and get some dinner." While Inu Yasha continued to gaze into the cave he heard the retreating footsteps of his comrades as they walked down the path to the base of the cliff. All but one set, that is, and he knew to whom they belonged.

"Inu Yasha," came a soft call. It was Kagome. He knew who it was before she had spoken. Kagome was different from the others - he could talk to her in a different way than them. Granted, he did not do it often, but she never judged him when he did. She liked him for who he was…unlike, he reflected, Kikyou. He shook his head free of the thought, and turned to look at Kagome. She stood slightly behind him, obviously waiting to see if he would acknowledge her.

"This cave," she gestured, "what is it?" Inu Yasha glanced back at the cave. _Should I tell her?_ It was only a small part of his past, but it had left a big impact on him. He had not been here since that last time with his father and Sesshoumaru. It was a secret that his father had shown only to his sons.

"It's a secret," he replied, his voice low.

"Oh, I see." Kagome sounded a bit hurt, but he couldn't resist the joke.

"No," he corrected as he looked back at her. "That is what it _is_ - a secret." Kagome only stared at him, her face the definition of confusion. He could have left it at that, but some part of him really wanted to share this with her. "Here," he said, holding out his hand, "I'll show you."

She placed her hand in his without a moment's hesitation. As he closed his fingers gently around hers and led her into the cave his heart skipped. He might tell himself that who Kagome chose to be with was her choice, but no matter how he tried he could not escape the feelings he had for her. Yet he could not bring himself to tell her. There were moments when his heart had betrayed him and he had spoken words of affection to her. But, he had told himself that he could not allow himself to feel that way towards Kagome because he owed Kikyou his life. He could not let Kagome waste her life on a dead man, and still…every time he tried to push her away she came right back, and all he could do was silently cheer because she had returned.

They walked further into the cave towards a slightly illuminated area. Sesshoumaru would probably have a fit if he knew what Inu Yasha was doing, hell he was surprised that Julia was still in one piece when they had found her. Sesshoumaru probably felt this place was far more sacred than he did. For Inu Yasha it was just a fond memory, but for Sesshoumaru it was about high demon pride.

As they entered the chamber Inu Yasha heard Kagome breathe in quickly at the sight. Against the opposite wall stood a huge statue that depicted several species of demons coming together in peace. All took part in holding up a spherical crystal. It was this crystal that held the inner glow that illuminated the cavern.

"This was my father's secret." Inu Yasha told Kagome as they came to stand in front of it. "He took me and Sesshoumaru here. He told us that while anyone was in this valley there could be no conflict. Anyone meeting here would be held to a strict code of conduct whether they knew it or not. Anytime a treaty or peace agreement needed to be worked out he would hold it here so that he did not have to worry about tempers getting out of control and ruining the talks. He'd told both of us that it was the job of any good leader to make sure that the people's interests were looked after, and that meant not resorting to bloodshed when it could be avoided. He treated me as if I someday would be a leader as well." He felt Kagome's hand slip out of his as she gently placed it on his shoulder. He looked over at her, her eyes full of compassion.

"It sounds like your father was a good leader," she said in hushed tones, "and perhaps a good father," she added with a small smile upon her lips. Inu Yasha did not respond, he only turned his gaze back to the statue. "Was that him?" He did not look at where she was pointing for he knew that she had followed his gaze.

"Yes," he replied as he looked at a father he had only known for a short time. He'd forgotten how much Sesshoumaru resembled him.

"This is why you knew Sesshoumaru was telling the truth, isn't it?" Kagome asked, pulling him out of his comparison.

"Yes," he replied with a lighter tone in his voice. "Sesshoumaru is a stickler for ceremony. Since we are not exactly on friendly terms I figured that what he had to say would be pretty interesting if this was the place he'd picked to meet."

"Why tell us not to come then?" He looked back at her and could see the hurt in her eyes.

"I," he began, but could not find the words to explain it and looked back at the statue of his father. "This is the only place I have a real memory of my father, and feeling like we were a family. It is a part of me that I did not know if I wanted anyone else to know about it."

"And now?"

"Now, I am glad you are here with me," is what he would have liked to have said, but what actually came out was, "It doesn't matter. It is not like I could have stopped you if I wanted to." He turned just in time to see her face scrunch up and her mouth form the word 'sit.' He prepared himself, but nothing came. Seeing her surprised look he gave a silent thanks to his father. Kagome could not even get the word out.

Feeling suddenly empowered Inu Yasha turned towards her and started to edge closer to her, a mischievous grin firmly in place.

"Now why would you try to do that?" he asked

"You know why," she responded, taking a step backwards.

"I only answered your question." _Okay, that wasn't quite the truth,_ he admitted to himself, _but it is still the truth. _ "I can't stop you when you want something, especially with that sit command of yours," he added, still walking towards her.

"Well, you were being mean! I could hear it in your voice," she shot back, still continuing backwards. He sounded mean because he was trying to cover up what he had really wanted to say. Kagome had come in contact with the wall behind her and had nowhere else to go. To prevent her from moving to either side he trapped her between his arms. He really had wanted to tell her that she was the only one he could talk to about his past, the only one he really trusted, the only one…for him. But, how? How did he tell her these things?

"Inu Yasha?" her voice was small and wavered as she spoke his name. He stared into her questioning eyes, eyes that cared for him and offered him comfort. She cared about him as more than just a friend, he knew that, but he had done nothing about it. Now that he no longer had his oath to Kikyou he wondered if he even still deserved it.

He'd been feeling pretty cocky about her not having her usual power over him, but staring down at her he knew that it was not just the prayer beads that gave her power over him. Simply being with her affected him in ways that he seemed unable to control. Finally coming to his senses he realized that his little power play had somehow turned against him and now he was in the hot seat and did not know what to do next…so he gave up.

"Come on," he said as he dropped his arms, turned and started to walk away, "we should go find the others, I'm getting hungry."

"Inu Yasha." Kagome called softly to him so that he turned. She walked over to him and grabbed his hand. "Thank you for showing me this place." He grinned at her and began to lead her back out of the cave. She followed silently at his side. For now he would be content to just simply have her with him.

-----------------------------------------------

Julia held on tightly to Sesshoumaru as he flew. He had shocked her when he'd just scooped her up and took off. At least Kouga had given her _some_ warning before he had started to run. Thinking about Kouga caused her to look down at the ground in search of her friend. Now that she was separated from the others he was the one friendly face that she knew she would have. But, looking at the ground, all she could see was a blur. _Can Kouga really keep up with this pace?_

"The wolf is following. Do not concern yourself with him." She looked at Sesshoumaru's profile since he had not actually looked at her when he spoke. It was as if he had read her thoughts, though she knew he could not, at least she _thought_ she knew that he could not. She really had no idea what kind of powers demons had.

"What if Naraku attacks him while we are traveling to your castle?" she asked in an attempt to break the silence.

"He will not." Still he did not look at her, and he said no more. _This is going to be a long trip if he decides to clam up._

"How do you know?" No answer.

"Fine, I get the idea. You don't want to talk." She relaxed her grip a bit and leaned into the soft boa-like thing he always seemed to wear. She could take a hint, if he didn't want to talk she would deal with it. She hoped that the others would be safe as well. They had to be able to hold Naraku off long enough for Sesshoumaru to rescue Rin and get to them. Would they be able to pull it off?

Sesshoumaru rescuing Rin was another oddity. He appeared to only tolerate her presence when she had observed them the other day, and now he was swallowing his pride to save her. Maybe Rin would be the way this 'prince' learned his lesson, he certainly seemed to be changing already.

She suddenly yawned, and marveled at how tired she was. She hadn't actually done anything all day, and yet she was having trouble keeping her eyes open. She nestled into her soft pillow and found herself drifting off to sleep despite her precarious perch on Sesshoumaru's arm. Somehow she knew that she would be safe.

----------------------------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru was replaying the day's events over in his mind, making sure that he had made the right choice. He didn't really want to talk, and when the woman, Julia, had finally fallen asleep he was grateful. Kouga was keeping up since Sesshoumaru was setting a pace he knew the wolf could follow.

He'd figured out where Naraku's base was earlier that day. Naraku may be good at covering his tracks, but his little ninja henchman had a lot to learn. The demons that had assisted the boy in Rin's capture were not clean in their getaway. He had been able to trace them back to Naraku's hideout with no trouble. He'd even kept watch to make sure that it was not another of Naraku's games. Naraku was indeed there, and so was Rin, so Sesshoumaru had left to meet Inu Yasha.

All of the pieces were accounted for and soon they would reach his castle. Then it would be a waiting game. When would Naraku strike?

The woman shifted and he adjusted his hold on her so that she would not roll out of his grasp. Sesshoumaru wondered why it was that he would reduce himself to playing ferry for a human, and he was slightly more disturbed when he realized that he did not mind. She was a different human than he was used to, and more prominently a different kind of _woman_ than he was used to. Where had she come from?

The light from the moon suddenly reflected off of the pendant she wore about her neck and caught his eye. _And how did _you_ come by that?_ he wondered. The shard puzzled him. It seemed that anyone who had come in contact with a shard was somehow changed by it, but this woman seemed to have some kind of hold on the shard. And, in fact, she did not even seem to be using the shard in any way like the wolf was. It seemed to him that she treated it as though it was no more than a piece of jewelry.

A strange human indeed, and now, with her in his possession without the interference of his half-brother and his companions, he would get the answers he wanted. She was going to be in _his_ domain now, and there would be no escaping from him.

-----------------------------------------------

A/N: Uh-oh, now he has her all to himself, but I have a feeling things won't go quite as he plans…wait I'm the author…oh well.

Please Review.


	7. Strange Discoveries

Update: Chapter Edited

Disclaimer: Inu and co are not mine…sniff…sniff…

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and the compliments. I'm glad your all are enjoying the writing style so far as well as my portrayal of the characters. I am sure there will be moments where they won't feel like the originals anymore, but just think of it as character growth ;D

As for Julia, yes she is my impression of a typical American woman, being one myself I guess I have some authority on the subject :D

Also, per a request I will try and double space …maybe 1.5 space the chapters for easier reading, and hopefully go back and fix the past chapters. However, it all depends on if Word can do that in the formatting when it changes it to html code.

Also, I don't know if readers are aware of this, but in the upper right corner of the screen there are and – signs…these will increase or decrease the font size. This can make reading easier too...though I think when I imported mine I already had the font fairly large so I don't know if it will work for this story, but just in case you ever needed to know that…now you do.

Oh Oh, one more thing. I actually do have illustrations for this story, and I will try to post them with the chapter they belong with, however I forgot to include the link for this one. It goes with 'Enter the Wolf'. So here it is, though I think you will have to copy and paste it into the browser, sorry, I don't really know html and Word refuses to make it work…silly Word…

Hopefully I don't need to point out when this was.

Okay, I think that is all, enjoy Chapter Seven.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Seven: Strange Discoveries

She was aware of the sunlight on her face, but she just didn't want to open her eyes. She was somewhere warm and comfortable and she was afraid the moment she opened her eyes the feeling would vanish. But, open them she knew she must, so very slowly she fluttered her eyes open. She was in a room, that was for sure. The warmth she felt was the futon and blanket she'd been encased in. Pushing back the covers she slowly sat up to get a better look around the room.

It was about the size of her current bedroom in the future but, unlike her current bedroom, there were sliding doors on both sides of her bed. They looked to be covered in rice paper, which made sense as they were now entering the summer months. The paper was decorated with gorgeous paintings of the mountains and forests.

Looking behind her she saw a small bureau that had a mirror standing on it. Catching her reflection in it she ran her hand through her hair and momentarily thought about how badly she'd like to wash it.

At the foot of the bed she saw her small backpack and what looked to be a set of clothing. Looking down she realized that she was still fully dressed in the clothes she'd been wearing for the last five days. _Guess I could do with some clean clothes_ she thought. Glancing at her watch she was surprised to see it was so early. Granted, she wasn't so sure the watch was still correct, but she figured it couldn't be too far off.

She crawled to the end of her futon and knelt in front of the pile of clothes. Picking up one rather large piece of cloth she discovered that it was a fairly decorative kimono. She rarely wore _dresses. _She had no idea what she was going to do with this. _Well I guess it can't be too hard to figure out…it is more of a robe, reall_y she thought to herself as she stood and got a feel for how long the garment was. _But first, I really need a bath._

She carefully refolded the kimono and picked it and her pack up in her arms. She had no idea where she was going to find any kind of a bathroom, but there had to be something.

"Okay," Julia said to herself as she stared at the two doors in the room, "do I take the outside or the inside?"

"Oh, you _are_ awake!" came a voice from the inside doorway. Julia turned to see an elderly-looking woman standing just inside the room, sliding the door closed behind her. "I thought I heard some rustling around in here, but I wasn't sure. Ears aren't what they used to be," she said with a smile, pointing up to her ears. They were pointed just like Sesshoumaru's, which meant this woman was a demon – apparently, a very old demon. "I am Wakana. Lord Sesshoumaru asked that I take care of you."

"I'm Julia," she smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"You must be famished, Lady Julia. I will show you to the dining room, but first, let's get you dressed properly." The old demoness started to advance towards her, but Julia had something else in mind.

"Actually, I could really use a bath," she said with a grin, "so if you could just point me in the right direction I think I can handle the rest." Wakana eyed her for a moment, and then, as if making an internal decision, she nodded.

"If that is what you wish, my Lady," the older woman smiled and led the way out of the room through the inside door. "But, I will stay and assist you in dressing as I have been ordered." Julia only smiled and nodded. Wakana obviously did not want to disobey her Lord, regardless of whatever Julia said.

Julia followed Wakana through the interior of the castle. It was really nothing like the typical European castles that frequented the pages of typical fairytales. Nor, was it like the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. It appeared to be a single story with hardwood floors and lanterns hanging from the ceiling every few feet. However, if what Kagome said about them being 500 years in the past was true, this made sense.

They passed more doors, similar to her own, lining both sides of the hallway. As they reached an intersection, to the right and left Julia could see day light, as it looked like the hall turned into a covered porch after a few feet. Straight ahead it still looked like part of an indoor hall. Following Wakana to this area she saw that on her right was a rather large room that appeared to be the kitchen, Wakana chose the door on her left.

Inside Julia saw a small wash room. There was a shelf on her left, which she assumed was there for fresh clothes to be put on, and it also had a small pile of dry towels sitting on it. To the right was a rock basin which contained water, hot water apparently, with a couple of small wooden buckets sitting next to it. Two stools sat close by a drain next to the basin. The back of the room was open, except for a couple of semi-transparent screens, and beyond looked to be an enclosed hot spring.

Julia placed her clothes and pack on the shelf and walked to the back of the room to look out at the spring. It was beautiful! There was a smooth stone path leading up to the water's edge where there appeared to be a step leading down into its depths. Eager to explore it more, Julia turned to her guide.

"Thank you, Wakana. I should be okay from here." She began taking off her jacket and realized that the woman was still standing there. "Was there something else?"

"I am here to assist you Lady Julia, so as soon as you are undressed I will help you bathe," she said with a bow.

"Huh?" Julia hadn't had help bathing since she was three or four, as was normal for most of the children of her time. "Wakana, I appreciate the offer, but I think I can handle this." Wakana only stared at her as though she was saying something unheard of. "Sesshoumaru asked you to help me, right?" The woman nodded. "Okay, so I will ask you to help me only when I need it, like with putting on that kimono," she said with a gesture to the foreign garment. "It is not something I am used to and would be most grateful for the help, but please I don't want to make you do anything that I am capable of doing on my own."

"If that is what the lady wishes," replied Wakana with another bow. "And if I may?" Julia nodded for her to continue. "You are an interesting human." Wakana smiled, and Julia only stared back at her. "When you are finished please ring this bell and I will come assist you in dressing. But, please do not take too long, I'm sure the morning meal is already being served." Julia nodded and Wakana left the room.

Julia finished undressing and filled a couple of the buckets with water. She washed up as best she could with the first and then dumped the second over her head. As she did she suddenly missed Kagome and her backpack with Shampoo. She looked out past the screen and considered venturing out for a soak, but she knew that Wakana was waiting. She'd explore the hot spring later. Standing she squeezed some of the water out of her hair and then walked over to get a towel and her travel brush out of her pack.

Upon reaching the shelf she could faintly hear voices on the other side of the door. Curious, she wrapped a towel around herself and then moved closer to the door.

"What do you mean she wanted a bath?" said a fairly agitated male voice, one she thought sounded familiar, but that she could not place.

"Just that," replied a voice she knew was Wakana's. "The Lady wished for a bath, so I brought her to the wash room."

"But she is human," the male voice hissed.

"The old Lord allowed his mistress use of the washroom," replied Wakana very matter of factly.

"Yes, but you know the current Lord loathes humans!" he responded.

"And what of little Rin?" countered Wakana. There was a pause.

"That is an entirely different situation," he replied lamely, frustration obvious in his voice.

"I don't see how. Now, the Lord bid me take care of the lady and I intend to do just that." Wakana's voice had taken on a 'no arguments will be listened to' tone of voice. "While she is in this house, or until the Lord asks us to do differently, you will show her the same respect you would to any guest." There was another poignant pause, but Wakana must have gotten the response she had wanted since she continued a moment later. "Good. Now see to it that a meal is set out for Lady Julia, I will be bringing her shortly."

Footsteps could be heard retreating, and Julia quickly realized that she was still standing next to the door. Moving quickly back to her pack she began to paw through it to find her brush. A moment later the door opened and Wakana stepped through. Julia looked up to see her smiling.

"Now, don't you worry about him, Lady Julia."

"Oh, I don't care what they…wait, how did you know I was listening?" She realized it was a bit late to cover her blunder.

"They are not as good as they used to be, but they still function." Wakana said, pointing to her ears. "Now, lets get you dressed." Julia just nodded and allowed Wakana to dress her like a living doll.

After what seemed like an eternity later, Julia followed Wakana down the hall to another room where she was told she could eat her morning meal. Inside she found a small table set with a bowl of rice and other traditional Japanese foods. It appeared she would be eating alone.

"Enjoy your meal, and leave the dishes when you are done. Afterwards, feel free to look around. I'll see to it that your clothes are washed and put in your room along with your bag." With that Wakana slid the door closed behind her and left Julia alone in the room.

Julia found that the only way to sit comfortable in her new clothes was to kneel, so kneel she did. It looked like this room was partitioned off from a much larger room with a connecting entrance at the other end. She had just picked up her rice bowl and chopsticks when she heard footsteps coming towards the section of the room she was in. She was relieved to see that they belonged to Kouga.

"Morning," he called down the room, "just thought I'd keep you company while you ate. Unless you're having a late meal cause you wanted to be alone?"

"No!" she replied, "Please stay, I just really needed a bath, that's all." He smiled and then plopped down across from her. "When did we get here? The last thing I remember was flying with Sesshoumaru and then I must have fallen asleep."

"Late last night." Kouga replied. "Sesshoumaru handed you to me and directed one of his servants to show me to a guestroom where I left you. I was going to check on you this morning, but Sesshoumaru said he'd already sent someone to see to you. Did they treat you alright?" His question seemed innocent enough, but she could tell there was some concern laced in it.

"Yes, Wakana was very sweet," she answered honestly.

"Good, 'cause I was getting the feeling that humans aren't exactly welcome here," he replied. "Some of the things I overheard from the staff weren't that friendly."

"Thanks for the heads up, but I kind of already got that feeling. Sesshoumaru's people seemed to be very loose with their tongues," she smiled at him. Kouga really was proving to be very sweet. "So, what are we doing today?"

"Not sure," he answered as he shook his head. "Other than that brief answer from Sesshoumaru, he hasn't said a thing."

"Oh," she said around a huge mouthful of rice. She had hoped that Kouga would talk a little more so that she would have time to chew, but no such luck. "Well, Wakana suggested I take a look around, so maybe I'll do that. You want to come?" She said as she finished swallowing.

"Don't see why not, I've got nothing better to do," she could almost take offense to his offhanded tone about coming with her, but she caught the glimmer in his eye that meant he was joking.

"Good. Why don't you tell me more about the adventures you've had with the others while I finish stuffing my face?" He smiled and began another tale.

----------------------------------------------

Wakana had reported back to Sesshoumaru when she was finished helping Julia. He had assigned Wakana to assist Julia for the same reason he had her help Rin - she did not loathe humans. She had served Inu Yasha's mother under his father's reign and had a mild respect for humans. His other servants had embraced his hatred for humans, and some had always felt that way. He knew that they were surprised when he showed up with Rin, and he had in fact considered housing her elsewhere, but it just did not seem practical. So, he had Jaken spread the rumor that Rin was there due to 'special circumstances' because he was not about to give an explanation to his servants, but he knew they had to be appeased in some way or Rin would be treated unkindly.

Now, not only would he have another human under his roof, but his half-brother and the rest of Inu Yasha's human friends would come as well as soon as he had rescued Rin. His servants would definitely start to wonder at that. He paused in his pacing and looked into the full-length mirror he had in his room. _I'm starting to wonder_ he thought.

"Bah, it's Naraku," he said to himself. "As soon as he is destroyed I can go back to my life. But…" He stared at his reflection, almost as if he was daring himself to finish that thought, but he knew it could not be helped. _There is Rin, and there will always be Rin._ He knew now that the little girl was a part of his life, as much as he hated to admit it. She had become more than a pitiful human to him. And now this woman, this Julia, had somehow worked her way into his thoughts. She was different and a complete mystery.

It was then that he thought of his opportunity to investigate Julia. Wakana had in her possession the woman's strange bag and would surely bring it back to the woman's room. While he considered himself above snooping, he reasoned that this was his home and anything in it was open to his inspection - with or without the owner's knowledge. Sesshoumaru smiled to himself as he left his room for Julia's.

Wakana had already rolled up the futon, and tidied the room when he arrived. He found what he was looking for sitting on the small bureau. Kneeling in front of it he carefully picked it up and examined it. The material resembled leather, but it was much smoother in texture. He found a small metal loop that looked like it was what was keeping the bag closed and began to play with it. It only took him a moment to manipulate the strap through the loop and flip the top of the bag open. He began to pull the contents out one by one.

First he found a rather crumpled up piece of parchment. Unfolding it he discovered it was a map of some sort, but he could not read it, nor understand what land it was depicting. Refolding and placing it aside, he continued.

Next he pulled out a small stick that had a mass of thorns protruding from it on one end. The thorns were not sharp and would bend in any direction he moved them. The material the object was made out of was entirely unknown to him, as was the purpose of the item. This too, he set aside.

This trend continued every time he removed an object from the bag. A small, solid box-like thing, that looked to made of the same material as the thorned object, with smaller pieces of a softer material some how attached to it in a pattern that made no sense. A metal ring of other metal items that had odd shapes cut in them, and so on. When he reached the final item, however, it was a bit more interesting.

He now held an object made of the same material as the bag, but much smaller. He pulled it open to discover a small picture of Julia inside. It was like no portrait he had ever seen, so small and yet with so much detail. Next to the picture was what must have been writing of some kind, but what it said he could not tell. Examining further he discovered that he could remove it. It was hard and yet still flexible. Even more amazing was that the portrait had no texture to it…it was completely flat. _How is that possible?_ He noticed something on the back as he brushed his finger over it. Flipping it, he saw another piece of parchment attached to it, somehow, that also had that strange writing on it.

He was about to continue his search through the smaller bag when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Quickly deciding that he'd rather keep his newfound knowledge to himself, Sesshoumaru replaced the items in the order he found them and stood to exit the room through the outside door. As he opened it, he glanced back once more and noticed he'd left the small picture on the floor. Realizing that he did not have enough time to replace it in the smaller bag he scooped it up and slid the door closed behind him as he heard the inner door open.

"I'll just be a second, Kouga," he heard Julia call. She was headed for the bureau and probably for her bag. Sesshoumaru hoped that she would not think anything was out of place. "Wow, Wakana really did a number on my hair!" she exclaimed.

"Whatever you say." Sesshoumaru heard the wolf reply. "I don't really care much about that girly stuff."

"Gee, thanks Kouga, I appreciate the support," she responded, but he could hear the sarcasm in her voice.

"What!?" Sesshoumaru could just picture the wolf spreading his arms in a questioning manner as he replied. "If you don't like it, take it out."

"No, it's just that I'm not used to it," Julia replied. "Besides, Wakana looked so happy when she was done, I'd hate to hurt her feelings by taking it down." She paused a moment. "I'll be glad to have my own clothes back, too. These are nice, but they are just too nice for me."

"Well, this is normal compared to what you and Kagome usually wear," smirked the wolf. "I don't know why you guys don't get shunned at every village you walk into."

"Must be our sparkling personalities," she laughed as she replied. "C'mon, lets go check out that garden that I got a glimpse of when we were by the kitchen."

Curious about the woman's new appearance Sesshoumaru decided that he would return the small picture later and for now tucked it into his sash. He made his way to the garden Julia had spoken of by using the outside porch. As he came to the front of his home, a place that overlooked part of the garden, he went to a part of the porch where he would be obscured by his blooming cherry trees, but where he could still survey the majority of the garden.

Not long after he was situated he heard footfalls coming down one of the paths, accompanied by occasional laughter. Then the pair rounded a corner and she came into view. She was wearing a dark blue kimono with a deep red obi. Though he could not see the knot tied in the back, if Wakana had done it he was sure it was elaborate. The blue fabric was dotted with cherry blossoms, and the long sleeves each had a single tree in bloom embroidered in silver thread. Moving his gaze towards her head he could see the hair style that Wakana had fashioned for her. It was no different from what any respectable lady would wear, and yet on her it seemed…out of place. He was not sure why. Some tendrils of her strange golden locks had worked lose and now framed her face. Her face…she was smiling as she walked with Kouga, wearing a look of complete trust. She never had that look when she was with him. He was brought out of his thoughts by her suddenly leaving his line of sight.

"Whoa," cried Kouga as he reached to catch her, "that's the third time."

"I know, I know," she laughed as he helped her right herself, "I'm just not used to this thing. I want to keep up with you, but I have to take the tiniest steps, and every now and then I forget and take too big of a step."

"You're right," he laughed back. "You definitely need your old clothes back. You are a hazard to yourself wearing this." He motioned to the kimono. He still had a hand on her shoulder as she straightened out the fabric. Sesshoumaru found their physical contact somewhat unsettling, but he pushed the thought away. It did not matter.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" a voice called from behind him. _Jaken_ "My Lord, there have been many messages sent to you while we were away." He could hear Jaken waiting behind him and knew that what the little demon was saying was that he should get to work, but Jaken knew better than to give him an order. However, the little demon was right. He needed to read and, more than likely, respond to those letters. Many were probably from the other cardinal Lords concerning Naraku. No doubt they had heard of him by now. Turning, he walked past Jaken to his study where there was probably a rather large pile waiting for him.

-------------------------------------------------

They had left the valley the following morning and traveled south as Sesshoumaru had instructed. They'd set a leisurely pace as they really didn't have anywhere that they were supposed to go. Inu Yasha grumbled a few times, but Kagome knew that he would continue to go along with his brother's plan. While he pretended not to care, Inu Yasha really would not want anything to happen to the little girl.

The day had passed rather uneventfully so they stopped early by a river to catch some dinner and rest. Miroku made a crack about their forced vacation with the possibility of an attack at any moment. Inu Yasha had only snorted and hopped into a tree. The others had dismissed it as Inu Yasha being in one of his moods, but Kagome knew something was troubling him, something more than just working with his brother.

Inu Yasha was still up in his tree where he'd been the entire evening. The rest of the camp had gone to sleep under the pretense that Inu Yasha would insist on standing watch. Kagome lay in her sleeping bag with Shippou curled up beside her. She stared up at the tree Inu Yasha was in and wondered.

The other night in the cave she wasn't sure what he was going to do. He looked as though he was going to say, or do, something that she had wanted him to say for a long time. She was spellbound by him and couldn't think of what to say. But…he just walked away. He had shared his past with her, and so much more, but he was still guarding what was in his heart. He cared for her, she knew that, but did he care for her more than he did his memory of Kikyou? She'd wanted to ask, but she couldn't. If only she had half of Julia's nerve when it came to telling it how it is. Reluctantly, Kagome closed her eyes. She needed to get some sleep, she knew that. The next couple of days would be a test of nerves and patience as they waited for Naraku to make his move.

--------------------------------------------

Julia walked along the garden path in the evening light. Wakana had been true to her word, so she now wore her own clothes. The evening was warm enough to remove her jacket, which was now tied around her waist. She and Kouga had spent the previous day getting acquainted with the grounds of Sesshoumaru's estate. However, not once during the day had they ever seen Sesshoumaru. He was absent at both meals and none of the servants ever mentioned him.

This day had gone more or less the same as the other. She and Kouga ate meals together and explored more of the grounds, which were quite extensive. However, after dinner one of the servants had come to Kouga to ask him to go with him. Kouga only shrugged at her and said he'd see her later. Julia assumed that Sesshoumaru must have wanted to talk to him. She was beginning to feel as though he was going out of his way to ignore her.

She'd discovered that the servant Wakana had been speaking to the previous morning had been Jaken. She had seen him on more occasions than she would have liked. The little toad seemed to pop up anytime it sounded like she was having fun. If Kouga made her laugh, Jaken would appear and tell her that 'her noise' was 'bothering Lord Sesshoumaru.' Then he'd scurry off before she could respond. Thankfully, he was not the servant that had come and gotten Kouga earlier. He would have eyed her and probably made some snide comment. She could see why it was that Rin did not like him, though Rin was still enough of a child not to understand or care why it was that Jaken acted the way he did.

Julia crossed the little bridge in the garden but, instead of staying on the path, she veered in the opposite direction, away from the manner. She and Kouga had found a really beautiful section of the garden that overlooked a valley below. She had missed the last half of their trek here so she'd had no idea that the manor rested on a hillside. She had dubbed it a manor because the word just seemed to fit better than 'castle'. It was a fairly sizable home, but it just didn't resemble a castle as she knew one.

She sat on the hillside and stared out at the valley below. It seemed to be nothing but darkness. There were no fires burning to indicate a village or any other signs of human life. She hugged her legs and rested her head on her knees. _Sesshoumaru__ must love the fact that there are no humans around here_ she thought. Though Jaken was the only one who treated her with open hostility, Julia could see that some of the other servants were wary of her.

She and Wakana had spoken a little the previous night as she was preparing for bed. Getting out of the kimono was as complicated as getting into it. Wakana asked if Julia had really been traveling with Inu Yasha and if he was well. Julia had responded as best she could. Yes, she had been traveling with him for a short time and, as near as she could tell, he was fine. Wakana had spoken of him as a child. How sweet he was and how his father had doted on him. He had really loved Inu Yasha's mother, and she him. After he'd died, Inu Yasha's mother seemed to lose the will to live. She'd become ill and just couldn't recover. Inu Yasha was treated with some kindness, but after Sesshoumaru took over ruling the castle attitudes changed.

Julia tried to get some information about Sesshoumaru, but Wakana seemed reluctant to discuss him. She would only say that Sesshoumaru had not taken kindly to his father remarrying. Especially to a, and Wakana had to pardon herself here, to a human. That was where the animosity towards humans had come from. It almost sounded as though Wakana had been making excuses for her young lord's behavior. Julia had hoped to learn more about him, but Wakana had excused herself after that and Julia had not been able to speak to the woman in private since.

Julia untied her jacket from around her waist and laid it out behind her. Lying back on it she gazed up at the stars, again marveling at their beauty. She had really gotten herself into quite an adventure that was for sure. She admitted that she really had no idea what it was she was getting her self involved in, and that a wise person would have probably just have handed over the jewel and gone home, but…Julia smiled to herself…she had never really considered herself very wise. Picking up the shard from around her neck she smiled. Her mother had said it was a piece of a falling star and that it would make her dreams come true.

"What more could I wish for than this, Mom?" Julia mused to herself. "This is the adventure of a lifetime."

"Talking to yourself? And in a private language," came a voice from behind her. "If you wish your conversation to be secret, perhaps simply thinking it would be better?" Julia sat up and turned to see Sesshoumaru standing behind her. She frowned at him initially for sneaking up on her, but her expression changed as she really took him in.

He was wearing the same white outfit, but he no longer wore the armor, swords, or the fur boa. Somehow it made him look softer, almost approachable. She smiled.

------------------------------------------------------

The frown he had expected, but why on earth was she now smiling at him? He'd followed her out to this spot in hopes of questioning her about her origins, but as he watched her get comfortable he was having second thoughts about interrupting her solace. It was only after she had spoken in that incomprehensible language of hers that he had regained his resolve to interrogate her.

"Just thinking about something my mom told me," the woman replied. "I guess you could say it's our private language." She smiled again and mumbled something about 'us and a billion other people,' but he had no idea what that meant. "Have a seat, stranger, I think this hill is big enough for the both of us." She patted the ground next to her. Sesshoumaru was momentarily offended by the notion of being 'told' to sit, but realized that this woman had never shown him any kind of respect in the first place. Nor did she respond to his commands. No, he would need to try a different tactic to get what he wanted out of her.

"I have been busy with the affairs of my land," he replied stoically as he seated himself next to her.

"Right, I guess you would have lord-type stuff to deal with," she responded rather off-handedly, while gazing at the sky.

"How is it that you have never heard of me?" he asked, somewhat irritated by her blasé attitude. "Nor, at least, of my father? Surely you could show his title some kind of respect." She turned her face away from the sky to look at him.

"I," she began, but halted as she stared at him a moment more, "I can't tell you that." She then turned her face back towards the sky. "They are beautiful aren't they?" He followed her gaze, but he would not be deterred.

"Do not change the subject. Why can't you tell me?" he asked, trying not to let the demanding tone, that she seemed to get angry at, in his voice show through.

"I made a promise," she said simply, her eyes still gazing skyward, "and I always keep my promises." Her tone was final. He could tell she was not going to budge on the issue. "I am sorry, though," she added after a moment.

"For what?" he asked, truly curious.

"For not knowing who your dad was," she explained as she looked over at him, "He sounds like he was quite a guy." Sesshoumaru only nodded. He had not really spoken to anyone about his father, nor really come to terms with his father's decision to give Inu Yasha the Tetsusaiga. "Wakana had nothing but good things to say about him."

"He was a good leader." Sesshoumaru said simply. "He kept his people safe and his lands in order."

"But?" she asked, causing him to look over at her.

"But what?" he asked.

"It just sounds like you agree with the standard, but that there is something else. That's all," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. He looked back out across the valley below them, for the first time in his life at a loss for what to say. He did not need to tell this woman anything of course, but…

"He was the envy of all of the other Cardinal Lords." Sesshoumaru began. "He was powerful, intelligent, respected…everything was perfect. I was being raised to follow in his footsteps. But, when my mother died that all seemed to change." He paused and looked over at her. She bore no emotion on her face other than genuine interest in what he was saying.

"My father seemed to be lost without her. He would walk around his lands year after year without much care for anything. The other Lords started to think something should be done, and then when he brought that woman home they thought he had lost his mind. I knew he missed my mother, but to replace her with someone who was not even worthy of being a servant in our halls…" He paused as he realized who he was speaking to, but her expression had not changed, so he continued. "I was mortified. The other Lords began to question outright my father's role as Lord of the Western Lands, and mine."

"But, he did not care. He had his new bride, and new son, and then…," his voice tapered off and became solemn. "He died. He'd become weak." Sesshoumaru continued, picking his voice up again. "That woman and her emotions were the cause of his weakness. However, before he died, while he lay mortally wounded he called me to his side and spoke of the two swords he had commissioned." He shook his head. "I still do not understand his decision."

"So, now you know who the Great Dog Demon of the West really was…a weakling." He looked up at her again, still trying to understand why he had told her so much. It could have been that she was a completely blank slate, no opinion either way…or so she claimed.

"I don't see how he was weak," she replied, causing him to raise his head. Surely she could see the weakness? "He carried on as best he could after your mother died and then, against all the opposition, he dared to find love again in someone who was obviously not accepted. He remained brave until the end and … made the right choice in giving you Tenseiga." _What was he hearing?_

"I suppose I never should have expected a human to understand?" he remarked offhandedly.

"You're right," she replied, rather more coolly than he had expected her to. "I am human. That is why I am not blind to what your father's real power was." She stood then and brushed the grass off of her clothes. "Goodnight, Sesshoumaru," she said softly as she walked back towards the castle.

Sesshoumaru stayed where he was. What had that woman been talking about? Of course he knew what his father's true power was…didn't he? He did not need a human telling him that he was in some way blind, especially not this human. She was still a mystery to him. He had hoped that by speaking with her he would learn something of her, and her origins, but he realized that he had actually done most of the speaking. And, even though this had not been his plan, he somehow felt more at ease with his father's memory than he had in these past long years. _Still…what had that woman meant by her words?_

-----------------------------------------

A/N: Okay, so what exactly was in Julia's pack?

1) The map, 2) her hair brush, 3) was her cell phone, 4) her keys, and 5) was her wallet. It is hard to explain these things from a perspective of someone who has no clue what plastic or electronics are…

Also, for those of you who insist that the soft fluffy thing Sesshoumaru always has is his tail…I apologize for not depicting it as such, but honestly I don't think it is his tail. If you recall the episode where he almost gets dusted by Inu Yasha, and Rin finds him, he is lying on it and you can see both ends clearly…so yeah, that is my reasoning. Besides, it is one less thing for me to keep track of ;D

Next chapter coming soon…. Review…very soon….


	8. When Boredom Sets In

Update: Chapter Edited.

Disclaimer: Do I really need to put one of these on every chapter?

A/N: Okay, so I tried to double space, but it doesn't look like it worked, so I apologize for any difficulty in reading that may result from that, but please continue to read. Also, it looks like the art link did not want to show up either, and since I have no idea what the code for that should be in html I have another alternative. Just click on my pen name and go to my bio. The link to my Elfwood fanart site will be there. It just won't be as simple as clicking on a link and going directly to the picture. Okay, enough rambling, enjoy.

------------------------------------

Chapter Eight: When Boredom Sets In

Julia woke the next morning before Wakana had a chance to come and wake her. Dressing quickly, she left her room and headed off for some breakfast. She really didn't want Wakana fussing over her. Getting her to let her wear her own clothes the previous morning had been _much_ too hard. Julia figured that if she was already dressed there really wasn't much the old demoness could do.

As she turned the corner she could see the garden in the distance, which brought to mind the events of the previous night. She had never expected Sesshoumaru to open up like that. It was odd that he hadn't been his normal, stand-offish, self. He was almost…friendly. Maybe taking off armor will do that to a guy. She wished she could make him see what it was that made his father as great as he was, but somehow she knew that it wasn't her place to say it. He would have to discover that kind of compassion on his own. At least he was off to a good start with Rin, but Julia really wasn't sure if he himself knew why it was that he continued to save Rin.

Making her final turn into the dinning room Julia saw Kouga already seated there, but, again, there was no Sesshoumaru. Kouga smiled, but she could tell he was getting bored with his stay here. Taking her own seat, Julia had an idea.

"Morning Kouga," she greeted him. "Sleep well?" He nodded around a mouthful of rice. "Say, Kouga…are you any good at hand-to-hand combat?" He stopped in mid-bite and stared at her, though whether it was out of surprise at the question or at his skills being questioned she was not sure.

"The best," he responded cockily as he gulped down his mouthful of rice. "Why?"

"Well," she began, pleased to see his interest, "I thought that we might be here for a little bit longer, and since I only know a few basic self-defense moves I thought this might be a good time to learn some more. So what do you say? Will you teach me some moves?" She smiled at his dumbfounded expression and was pleased to see it gradually change into a smile.

"Alright," he said with a half-smile, "but don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a woman."

"Oh, I wouldn't want it any other way," she replied with a grin. This would be fun. She would be learning something _and_ keeping Kouga occupied at the same time. The last thing they needed right now was for him to go running off to Kagome and the others.

They finished eating and headed out to the field located behind the manor. The morning was still cool so Julia kept her jacket on for the time being, but she knew that if Kouga kept to his word she'd be warmed up in no time.

"Why don't you show me what you know first." Kouga instructed as he crossed his arms in front of him.

"Well, okay, but most of what I know involves someone attacking me and them winding up on their back," she replied, shrugging her shoulders and walking towards him.

"Huh? Wait," said Kouga as he put up a hand and backed up a step, "why don't you just show me the moves then." He smiled and put his hand back down.

Julia nodded her head and began to go through the various scenarios her self-defense teacher had taught her to handle. Being grabbed from behind, stopped from leaving, all the sensitive spots to aim for when defending oneself. Kouga critiqued, and would groan when she mentioned aiming for certain spots on a male attacker. After she was done he shook his head.

"What kind of a village did you grow up in?" he asked.

"The not-so-safe kind," she replied, hoping that the discussion would end there. Thankfully, it did.

"Well, I'd say your defense against being taken off guard is fine." Kouga said. "So, why don't we work on taking the offensive?" She nodded, and Kouga began by showing her a couple of stances for various types of attacks. Julia was pleasantly surprised to find that many of them resembled the stances she'd used in her kickboxing class. Though she'd never actually done any sparring in those - they were purely for exercise.

-------------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru entered the dining hall for the noon meal, expecting to see his two 'house guests' seated and eating their meals already, only to find it empty. Curious, he called for a servant to explain.

"Yes my Lord?" the servant answered, bowing respectfully.

"Where are the human and the wolf?" he asked in his usual bored tone.

"They did not wish to come in for their meal, sir. They only requested that some light foods be brought out to them."

"What are they doing?"

"It would appear that the wolf is training the human, sir." Sesshoumaru stared back at the servant, his bored mask still in place, but unsure what to make of the situation.

"That is all," he said with a wave of his hand. The servant bowed and left the room.

Training? What on earth did that mean? Training to do what? Sesshoumaru wanted to avoid showing any interest in the affairs of those considered less than he, and so did not question the servant further, but he would know what was going on.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" He heard a familiar shrill voice call behind him as he headed for the door to the porch. Turning, he saw Jaken carrying a rolled parchment. "My Lord, this just came -"

"It can wait, Jaken," he said as he turned back towards the door.

"But-" he turned once more and eyed his servant. Jaken immediately ceased speaking, bowed, and left the room.

Sesshoumaru slid the door open and stepped outside. Taking a quick breath it only took him a moment to locate his 'guests'. Following the outside porch of his home, he walked past the kitchen and the bath house to the steps leading down to the field behind the castle. Walking quietly through the small stand of trees he could already hear their warring cries. Reaching the edge of the woods he leaned against a tree and watched the pair.

It looked as though they had just finished a match. Kouga was standing over Julia, offering her a hand up, a grin on his face. The woman accepted the hand and dusted herself off. She was wearing that rather revealing top she'd had on the night before, only now in her disheveled state it seemed to cover even less than it normally did. A quick glace told him that her outer cover was over with the food his servants had brought the two – the food which, he noted, was still untouched.

Kouga grabbed Julia's shoulders then and squared them, saying something about staying aware of her defenses, but Sesshoumaru was momentarily taken off guard by their closeness. The wolf was _pawing_ her in her near state of undress.

Sesshoumaru leaned up off the tree to separate the two when it struck him that he shouldn't care. What that human woman did, or what the wolf did for that matter, should not concern him. _It does _not_ concern me_ he stated mentally.

The situation on the field had changed. Kouga had backed up a pace or two and was now facing the woman in an attack stance.

"Alright, I'm not going to call out the moves this time, you'll have to figure them out as we go," he yelled to her. She nodded and assumed a similar stance. _This should be interesting_ thought Sesshoumaru, curious about how much the woman knew.

Kouga moved swiftly towards Julia, though Sesshoumaru could tell that the wolf was holding back considerably. She was only human, after all. Her eyes never left Kouga's movements as she watched him come in closer to her, first feinting left then right. He jabbed left and she blocked it, a following downward thrust met the same results. She blocked a few more blows and then turned the tables and put him on the defensive. Kouga easily blocked her blows. The match continued along these lines until Kouga did something that must have been new for her. Ducking a blow she directed at his head, he continued the crouch and went into a sweeping kick. The woman would have landed flat on her back, but Kouga used his speed to get behind her and catch her as she fell.

"That was just _wrong_!" she exclaimed as she allowed herself to be lowered gently to the ground.

"I told you to expect anything," retorted the wolf, releasing his hold on her and sitting down next to her.

"Yeah, well, I didn't know 'anything' involved feet," she shot back as she knocked Kouga's hands out from under him, causing the wolf to fall backwards. She then broke into a fit of laughter.

"Oh you think that is funny do you?" he said as he quickly rolled and pinned her to the ground. Sesshoumaru had watched the antics with little emotion until that moment when he suddenly found himself standing above them, an action that had obviously startled both of them.

"Sesshoumaru." Julia stared up at him as she seated herself more properly on the ground, but she did not stand to greet him. Kouga, on the other hand, stood immediately. _At least the world has not gone completely crazy._ "What brings you out here?" Completely casual, as if she was doing nothing wrong, though he had to admit she _hadn't_ done anything really wrong. Why had he stepped forward so quickly? A look at the wolf told him that he was just as shocked at Sesshoumaru's sudden appearance as the human was.

"To discuss some matters with you," he replied, making sure he was in control of his features, "but if you are busy…"

"What? No, of course we're not," she replied as she stood. "Kouga was just showing me some techniques. We were about to break for lunch anyway. Care to join us?" She asked as she walked towards their picnic lunch.

"I've eaten," he replied coolly. Still, she sat down in front of the food.

"Well, as long as you don't mind us eating, we can still talk," she replied as she began to uncover the food. Kouga had joined her at this point. Sesshoumaru really hadn't wanted Kouga to be part of the discussion, but he couldn't think of a way to send him away other than just telling him to leave. And if he did that he would get no answer from the human and would also probably get one of her severe tongue lashings.

"Your shard," he began as he sat across from them. "What have you done to it that creates the shield around it?" Julia slowed her chewing a bit, and he could see that Kouga looked over at her with interest. Apparently that was a bit of knowledge that the little group had not shared with the wolf.

"Nothing that I am aware of," she answered slowly, "I didn't even know it could do that until Kagura tried to take it from me."

"You have a shield around your shard?" asked Kouga, finally getting over his initial shock. "How?"

"Like I said," she reiterated, "I don't know. The others weren't entirely sure why it does that, either." Sesshoumaru got more than just a feeling of half-truth in that statement. She was still hiding things and he had a feeling it was all linked to where she had come from.

"Then if you did not shield it, someone must have." Sesshoumaru continued. "Where did you get the shard?"

"It was a gift." she replied. She was being vague on purpose.

"Julia, if you know of a way to shield the shards from theft you must tell me," pleaded the wolf. He also appeared to be aware of her vagueness on the matter.

"Kouga, I don't," she said as she turned her face towards him. "If I knew how it was done I'd tell you in a heartbeat. But…" she paused and looked back at Sesshoumaru. He could see the stubbornness in her eyes, and knew that she would tell them no more. "The shard was a gift. I don't know any more than that." Kouga sighed heavily in regret before turning his attention to his almost-forgotten meal. Julia did the same, though she did not bolt her food down as the wolf did.

Sesshoumaru was going to leave, but he was still curious about one matter that he might actually get an answer to.

"Why are you training?" he asked as she had just stuffed a nice-sized chunk of rice into her mouth. She held up her hand, and then chewed as quickly as possible.

"Why not?" she asked back, though he knew it was a rhetorical reply. "We've got some free time and Kouga claims to be the best at this stuff, so I don't see the point in wasting the opportunity. Besides, I might need to know these things when we have to face Naraku again." She smiled widely and stuck her thumb in the air, though he could not say why. Kouga, the best, surely she was joking? But, he could see the wolf glowing with pride at her statement. Even more disturbing to him was the thought of her facing Naraku.

"You don't actually plan on fighting Naraku?" he asked, attempting to mask any actual concern in his voice. "A human like you would have no chance." She narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms in front of her. He wished she wouldn't do that, it caused him to be momentarily drawn to her bosom. A distraction he did not need.

"What about Kagome, and Sango, and Miroku?" she asked, annoyance obvious in her voice. "They are all human and yet they still fight Naraku. They have done so numerous times and survived." She glared at him with her piercing green eyes. "You continually bad-mouth humans and yet you have constant examples that not all humans are the same. Don't you think it's possible that we have evolved in the last hundred years or so? Your father saw the good in humanity," she shot out, "why can't you?" She did not wait for an answer. Instead, she got to her feet and tied her outer covering around her waist. "Kouga, I am going for a walk. I'll be back in a little while if you want to work-out some more." She didn't even give Sesshoumaru a nod good-bye, just merely left.

Sesshoumaru looked at Kouga who was still slightly stunned by her performance. Gradually the wolf brought his attention back to his meal and began eating again. Sesshoumaru returned his gaze to the retreating back of the most frustrating woman he had ever met.

"How do you deal with her?" he suddenly asked Kouga. Surely another full-blooded demon would understand how difficult she was?

"She definitely has her oddities, but I do not 'deal' with her." Kouga paused and placed his bowl and chopsticks down before looking Sesshoumaru in the eye. "I respect her. She does not play games. She will tell you the truth whether you want to hear it or not." He turned then to follow Sesshoumaru's gaze. "I was like you, once. I did not see the worth of humans. They were little more than easy prey for my wolves, but now…now I count myself lucky to be friends with some of the most courageous individuals I have ever met in both the human, and the demon world."

Kouga stood and with a slight nod took his leave. He did not follow her, but Sesshoumaru knew they would more than likely spar some more once she cooled down. Sesshoumaru stood and walked back to his castle. He had listened to Kouga's words in utter disbelief. He knew Kouga spoke the truth - after all it was his wolves that had mortally wounded Rin all those months ago. Yet, here Kouga was in the company of so many humans and self-admittedly enjoying it. Still, how many times had Sesshoumaru convinced himself that Rin was different? She wasn't just a human, she was something more, and yet she was still…just a human. And this Julia did not look, or act, like a human, and yet she was.

Sesshoumaru's world was changing and he did not know if he liked it, or was even ready for it.

-------------------------------------------

Naraku gazed into Kana's mirror at the little group settling down for the night. They had continued south for the past three days with little more that one run-in with a very minor demon that had been terrorizing a small village. He knew that they must be searching for him, but why would they travel south? All of the clues that he had left for them should have led them north. They had uncovered many of his deceptions on far less than he had given them this time, so why could they not figure it out? Unless they were intentionally trying to lure him out of hiding…

But, that was not Inu Yasha's style. Inu Yasha would of course want to charge head-on into battle without thinking. Besides, that strange woman was no longer with them. She had disappeared when they had stopped three days ago. The wolf was no longer traveling with them either, but that was not unusual. The woman though…where could she have gone? It was possible that she had relinquished her shard to Kagome, but where had she gone? Her garb and appearance aside, there was something most unusual about that woman, something that Naraku had to know.

Regardless, he was growing impatient. Sesshoumaru had heeded his words and had not come for the little girl. He smiled at the leverage he believed he now held over the great and powerful demon lord. Sesshoumaru was not worthy of his Lordship, allowing his _emotions_ to get in the way. No, Sesshoumaru would not be a problem, but Inu Yasha and his little band of humans were not coming to him. Naraku smiled. He would just have to bring the battle to them.

----------------------------------------------------

Julia slipped into a robe Wakana had left for her and set her clothes on the shelf in the washroom on the promise that something she could work out in would be brought to her in the morning while her clothes were being cleaned. She couldn't imagine practicing with Kouga in a kimono like the one she'd worn when she had first arrived. Kouga would win the match before they even began. She smiled at the thought as she quietly slid the door to the washroom closed, and then crept down the hall. She was almost positive that the rest of the household must be sleeping by now.

She'd spent more time soaking in the springs than she probably should have, but it had felt so good. She and Kouga had practiced together for the rest of the afternoon, and she knew she would be feeling it in the morning, but it had still been worth it. It had kept Kouga occupied and helped her blow off some steam after their little talk with Sesshoumaru. She slid the door shut to her room a little harder than she meant to at that thought.

She used her towel to dry her hair a little more as she sat down on her futon with every intention of tossing it across the room a second later and then passing out, but…. her mind would not leave thoughts of that earlier conversation. Standing, she continued to dry her hair as she walked towards the door to the outside porch. _Maybe a little fresh air will help_ she thought.

Sitting on the edge of the porch she dropped her head, flipped her hair over and draped the towel over her head. She wasn't sure why she had let Sesshoumaru's words get to her like that. She had listened to him speak of Inu Yasha's mother like she was little more than dirt without blowing up. Granted, it was the first time Sesshoumaru had actually opened up to her, but still. He just didn't see it. It was like he was blind to anything good that the human race had to offer.

He'd saved Rin, he'd saved her, and, according to Kagome, he had spared Sango's brother's life, but it was like he didn't see the good in what he was doing. She was sure that his father had been the kind of person to overlook differences, but Sesshoumaru just didn't see it.

"Julia." Startled out of he thoughts she threw back the towel and looked up through a curtain of damp hair at the object of her thoughts.

"You know, sneaking up on people is not nice," she said as she leaned back against a support pole for the roof and brushed the hair out of her face.

"That was not my intention," Sesshoumaru replied calmly. "I merely heard some noise out here, and as it is fairly late, I came to check on it."

"Oh," was all she could say. She hadn't realized that she had been that loud. Looking at him, it did not appear that he had been sleeping. His clothes were different, a deep blue robe that showed off a bit more chest than his usual whites, but his hair was still as perfect as ever. _Why is it that a man as arrogant as him has to be so damn handsome? But, she_ thought, _isn't that the way it usually works?_ She chuckled at the thought.

"Something funny?" he asked, leaning against another support pole a little ways off.

"Just you," she replied and then instantly covered her mouth. She really hadn't meant to let that slip.

"Me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"No…yes…well, sort of," she replied lamely. "It was just a passing thought." He only stared at her so she decided it was time to change the subject. "So, you are talking to me? I thought maybe you'd be mad at me for my little outburst earlier."

"You honestly think your words would affect me?" he replied, his voice almost ice.

"One could only hope," she shot back, her tone almost matching his. "But, at least I know you don't hold a grudge." She added in a lighter tone.

"I do have one question for you." Sesshoumaru stated, and Julia nodded for him to continue. "What is it you think my father understood that I don't?" She stared back at him, searching for the best answer. She could really lay into him and let him have a piece of her mind, but for once she knew that she should think before she spoke.

"Sesshoumaru," she began, then she let out a slow breath, "I can't answer that question." He looked as though he was going to demand she do so, but restrained himself when she slightly raised a halting hand. "You've said so yourself: My words, the words of a human, mean nothing to you. This time," she paused and looked him in the eyes, "this time you'll have to find the answer for yourself." He simply stared back at her, no expression on his face. She stood and walked to the door of her room, but as she placed her hand on the frame a thought came to her.

"Now it's your turn," she said without looking back, "answer me this. Why did you save Rin? Did you simply want to or was it something else?" She could hear the rustle of cloth as he shifted against the pole.

"I had the opportunity to test the power of my Tenseiga, so I did." His answer was simple and his voice as emotionless as always.

"And why are you saving her now?" she asked as she looked back at him. He stood completely motionless except for his eyes, which seemed to be searching for some explanation. She waited a moment more, and then slid the door to her room open. "Good night, Sesshoumaru."

-------------------------------------------------

He watched as she closed the door to her room and he could hear her collapse onto her futon, and still he had no answer for her. But, how many times had he asked himself the same question only to come up empty-handed? His head reeling from too many unanswered questions, Sesshoumaru headed back to his room hoping to lose some of them in sleep.

But, lying there, he could not get the image of her sitting against that pole in her robe out of his head. Her skin was still flushed from her bath, and the sweet smell of the honeysuckle soap Wakana had provided still clung to her. Her hair, still slightly damp, hung loosely about her face, a stray tendril or two blowing across it occasionally with a passing breeze.

He had been harsh with his words not so much for her sake, but to also remind himself of whom he was staring at. But, his words had not changed her appearance and, if anything, had made matters worse when her eyes ignited with indignant fire when he had spoken.

Kouga was correct in his assessment of her way with words, but tonight she had almost appeared to be restraining herself. Despite his words Sesshoumaru wanted to know what her answer would have been…and what did it have to do with Rin?

He got up and walked over to his bureau where the small picture of her lay. He had meant to return it, but had just not gotten around to it. Yet every time he looked at it his mind reeled with curiosity and a desire to know…everything.

------------------------------------------------

A/N: So, yeah, who would have known that Sesshoumaru likes to talk so much...

And Naraku is back…you know he had to show up again at some point, otherwise we wouldn't have much of a story ;D

Please Review.


	9. Time for Action

Update: Chapter Edited.

Disclaimer: Same old same old

A/N: You didn't think they were going to play around forever did you?

Just because I am nice, I am taking the time to finish formatting another chapter, hope you all enjoy it.

Chapter Nine: Time for Action

They were going on their fourth day and there was still no sign of Naraku. In fact, they hadn't seen much action at all. A measly weasel demon, terrorizing the last village they'd passed through, had hardly been worth their time.

Inu Yasha leapt ahead of his friends and into the top of one of the taller trees in the area. He surveyed the land, and scented the air, hoping to catch some sign of Naraku. But, there was still nothing. Inu Yasha shook his head and glanced down at the ground.

His friends were walking along at an easy pace, talking and laughing, almost as if they didn't have a care in the world. Inu Yasha knew better, though. Miroku and Sango would never let their guard down like that, and Kagome was always searching for the presence of a jewel shard.

_Kagome_, Inu Yasha thought as he focused on her, _Once__ the last jewel shard is found what will you do?_ Inu Yasha had always said that he would use the jewel to wish to become a full blooded demon, but…_Do I still want that?_ he wondered to himself. Kagome had told him on numerous occasions that she liked him just the way he was. Would she stay with him if he became a full demon, and would he be the same Inu Yasha that she cared for if he wished for that? There were so many questions, and the only thing he really knew was that he did not want Kagome to leave. He was pulled out of his thoughts by an all too familiar smell.

"Inu Yasha!" shouted Miroku.

"Yeah," he replied, "I smell him. You guys get ready." Inu Yasha reached into his coat and pulled out the mirror to tell Sesshoumaru that Naraku was making his move.

-------------------------------------

Julia dodged Kouga's advance and attempted a counterattack. While they pretty much did the same things they had done the day before, one thing had changed. Today, they had an audience.

Sesshoumaru had walked out to join them shortly after they'd got started and had only said that he'd felt like being outside. After that he'd walked over to a nearby tree and sat down, his arm resting on one raised knee.

Julia had been trying to ignore his presence, but she could not get the feeling that he was watching her out of her mind. Yet, every time she glanced over at him his gaze was fixed out in the field.

When he'd walked out it had almost seemed as though he'd wanted to talk about something, but did not want to interrupt them. That alone was reason enough for Julia to wonder what was going on in that brain of his. His demeanor seemed different from the previous day - not an overtly noticeable difference, but a difference was there. Julia hoped that he was thinking about what she had said, but she wasn't really holding her breath. As she was stretching out near the tree he was seated next to he did ask her one question:

"Why do you spend so much time with him?" Sesshoumaru's voice was low, and he was looking off at Kouga, who was apparently 'stretching' by speeding around the perimeter of the field.

"It might be because he actually _likes_ talking with me," Julia replied coolly and then walked a little ways away as Kouga approached them. Sesshoumaru had almost sounded annoyed, but she wasn't sure. She still had problems reading him, and even when it seemed like he was sharing he was still guarding his true feelings.

"Whoa!" Julia yelped as she suddenly found herself flat on her back.

"You weren't concentrating." Kouga scolded as he stood over her.

"Ah, sorry," she replied as she propped herself up. "My mind must have wandered a bit."

"Sesshoumaru!" yelled a voice from behind them, though it was slightly muffled. Twisting her body to face Sesshoumaru, Julia saw him stand and pull that communication mirror from his belt pouch. In an instant, both she and Kouga were standing at the lord's side.

"Sesshoumaru," said the voice again – Julia now recognized it as Inu Yasha's - "Naraku's coming. Make your move, and make it fast." Sesshoumaru nodded and put the mirror away. Then, without a word, he moved past them.

"Hey, wait a second!" Julia called after him. "What about us?" Sesshoumaru turned and eyed them both.

"I will go collect Rin, and then we will assist Inu Yasha," he said and started walking again towards the castle.

"No," she yelled and ran after him, Kouga right on her heels, "we should all go. Just because Naraku has made his move doesn't mean Rin will be left unguarded."

"She's right, Sesshoumaru," Kouga pitched in. "Kagura, and any number of demons, could still be at his hideout. If you want to save the child, without bringing her harm, we should come too." Sesshoumaru paused and turned to them once more.

"Fine," he stated coolly. "Go get Ah-Un and start north. I will catch up." Then he seemed to disappear as he ran back towards his manor. Julia then found herself being picked up bridal-style by Kouga as he took off at breakneck speeds towards the two-headed dragon's stables.

"Sorry," Kouga called out, "but we _are_ in a hurry." Julia simply nodded and held on. They were finally going to rescue Rin, and then they would be one step closer to defeating Naraku. She just hoped that the little girl was unharmed.

-----------------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru flew as fast as he could and still have the two-headed dragon keep up with him. Though they were still fast it just did not seem fast enough. Although they'd had a head start while he'd gotten his armor and swords, it had only taken an instant for him to catch up.

He had wanted to do this rescue on his own, but he could not deny what the others had said. If Naraku had indeed left a guard behind, there was a possibility that Rin would be harmed, and he had not waited this long, and this patiently, just to see Rin hurt.

Sesshoumaru glanced back at his companions. They both sat astride Ah-Un, Julia in front of Kouga. Kouga looked calmly ahead of them, a proud determination in his eyes. No fear, only the anticipation of a fight emanated from him. Julia also appeared to be prepared for this upcoming battle and, like the wolf, showed no fear. Julia saw Sesshoumaru glance their way and gave him a confident smile. He turned his gaze back towards their destination. As he did so he could see Naraku's hideout come into view.

A castle built on the side of a cliff, seemly floating in mid-air, was held up only by struts attached to the face of the cliff. Strategically, it was a perfect place for a base as it was only approachable by foot from one direction, but Sesshoumaru couldn't help but wonder if Naraku had even considered that most of his enemies had other means of transportation.

He descended lower to the tree tops as he approached the ravine the castle was perched over. The dragon followed his lead and Sesshoumaru slowed to allow it to catch up. He took the opportunity to size up the situation.

"Kagura is indeed still here," Sesshoumaru informed his companions as the dragon slowed to a stop. "As is the ninja boy."

"Kohaku." Sesshoumaru heard Julia breathe out the boy's name.

"There are also some other minor demons in the area," added Kouga as he sniffed the air. "What do you want to do?" Sesshoumaru knew that the moment they entered the castle they would be swarmed by Naraku's minions. They needed to keep their presence masked for as long as possible, though there was a chance Naraku's minions already knew that they were there.

"We will go in quietly," he told them, grabbing Ah-Un's reigns. "I'll shield our presence." He then extended his shield and led the dragon towards the porch closest to where he detected Rin's scent.

Once the dragon landed the pair dismounted and quietly followed him. He paused in front of the door. He knew what they would find within and it was something that he had hoped they could avoid. He slid the door open and strode in.

Against the far wall stood Kohaku, his chain weapon held to Rin's throat with that perpetually vacant look gracing his eyes. _Damn Naraku and his games._ Sesshoumaru heard a low feminine laugh roll out from behind them.

"Sesshoumaru," cooed Kagura as she leaned casually against the door frame, "Naraku thought you might try something like this. Though, I don't think he expected this rabble to be with you." She off-handedly waved towards Julia and Kouga to indicate who the 'rabble' were. "Oh well, I suppose I have no choice but to follow my orders." She stood erect and removed her fan from her sleeve. "Kohaku, kill - " but her command was cut off by Kouga charging her.

"You will pay for the lives of my kin!" he growled as he swung at her. Kagura immediately jumped out the way and Kouga followed her out through the doorway.

Sesshoumaru turned his attention back to Rin. Julia had already started walking towards the boy. Sesshoumaru was going to follow, thoughts of quickly taking the boy out crossing his mind, but he was distracted by some of the lesser demons they'd sensed flooding the room. Dividing his attention between controlling the horde of demons now threatening their lives and that whelp of a boy holding Rin, he hoped that Julia knew what she was doing.

----------------------------------

Julia had watched breathless, in slow motion, as Kagura was about to give the command for Kohaku to kill Rin. Then time sped up as Kouga charged and she breathed. Turning quickly towards Rin she could see that Kohaku's expression had not changed, but he that still held his deadly weapon mere inches from the little girl's neck. Rin seemed to be holding up rather well for someone so close to death. Julia lost track of what was going on around her, she only knew that she had to reach Kohaku somehow, so slowly she approached.

"Kohaku," she called softly. "Kohaku, you need to let Rin go." Julia held her hands open to show that she was unarmed and continued to inch slowly closer to him. "Kohaku, please, you don't want to hurt Rin. I know you don't." She was almost to him when he inched the blade a little closer to Rin's throat. The little girl whimpered slightly.

"It'll be okay, Rin," Julia said soothingly, the little girl sniffled and nodded ever so slightly. "Kohaku, I know you don't know me, but I know your sister." She _had_ to reach him, if she didn't Rin was as good as dead. There was no way Sesshoumaru could reach her in time, not now that he was fighting off hordes of demons. "She has been searching for you. She told me how much she misses you and wishes daily that she would be able to see you again." There! She saw it, a flash of recognition in his eyes. He was remembering, but Naraku still had a hold on him. "Kohaku, your sister, Sango, she is waiting for you to come home. She does not blame you for anything, Kohaku. She just wants you back." A tear rolled down his cheek and the weapon began to lower slightly, but he still held on to Rin.

Julia now became aware of Sesshoumaru standing behind her. She glanced around the room momentarily to view the massacre that was left in his wake. He stood now, emotionless, but with his eyes focused on the weapon in Kohaku's hand. If the boy twitched, he was as good as dead.

"Kohaku," Julia heard a small, but strong, voice call softly. Turning back to Rin Julia could see the tears in Rin's eyes as the little girl spoke. "Please Kohaku, remember your sister. My parents were killed when I was so young that I can barely remember them, so you must remember your family."

The chained weapon lowered and his grip loosened, but instead of running away from him Rin turned around and hugged him. Julia saw Sesshoumaru lurch slightly forward, but she held a hand up to stop him. If they could save Kohaku Julia would not allow Sesshoumaru to take his life.

"Remember Kohaku, remember your sister. Please?" Rin pleaded with him, her tiny arms wrapped around his waist. Tears began to pour down Kohaku's cheeks and he hugged the little girl back. Julia watched, barely able to hold in her own tears, hoping that this would work. The moment seemed to stretch on, neither child moving - then Kohaku held Rin at arm's length.

"Run, Rin! Get away from me! I am not safe!" he cried as he pushed her away. Rin hesitated a moment, then ran back towards Sesshoumaru, clinging to his leg.

Kohaku seemed to be struggling with himself, his head clasped between his hands, shaking it back and forth.

"No!" he screamed as he sank to his knees. "I won't do it!" Releasing his head he leaned forward on all fours and laid eyes on his weapon. He grabbed it and, in one swift motion, stabbed himself in the back, prying out the jewel shard embedded there. The shard fell out and, as it did, Kohaku also fell to the ground, landing in a pool of his own blood.

"Kohaku!" screamed Julia as she rushed over to him, picking up the shard in the process. "No, you have to put this back in, you'll die if you don't! Please Kohaku!"

"No," the boy said quietly as she placed his head on her knees. "I finally remember. I remember all of it now. My father…my friends…" he smiled and then his face saddened, "and how I killed them."

"But that was not your fault! You-" Julia started.

"It doesn't matter, I did it," he interrupted and smiled again, "and I finally remember who that face I can never forget belongs to…My sister…" his voice was getting softer now, "please tell her that I remembered and that I loved, and will always love, her, and that I want her to be happy." Julia nodded her head as she could no longer speak without her tears falling.

Rin hugged Sesshoumaru's leg and sobbed silently into his pants' leg. Sesshoumaru's face showed no emotion, but suddenly he drew his sword and approached the boy. Rin quickly let go and stood rubbing her eyes. Julia was not sure what he was planning, surely he didn't think the boy was still a threat? Then he gently sliced the sword over Kohaku and the color seemed to come back into the boy's cheeks.

"Place him on Ah-Un's saddle. He will see his sister again," stated Sesshoumaru, his voice revealing no emotion.

"What?" Julia asked dumbly, shaking her head. "I don't understand."

"Sesshoumaru saved him, just like he saved me," explained the little girl with a bright smile on her face. Julia couldn't help but smile as well and hugged the small boy to her as she picked him up.

"You'll be able to tell your sister yourself," she whispered quietly into his ear. She then turned her smile towards Sesshoumaru. She had tried not to cry, but it seemed now that her tears would not be stopped but, instead of tears of sadness, she was crying in pure joy. Sesshoumaru had saved Kohaku with nothing to gain from the act. He had saved him if for no other reason than that it would make the others around him sad if the boy died.

"Come." Sesshoumaru said, turning his face from her and walking towards the door. Rin trailed after him and Julia followed close behind.

As they walked towards the door they became aware of another battle raging on outside. Kouga and Kagura were still in a heated fight and it did not seem like either was going to give any time soon.

"Rin, go with Julia to Ah-Un," commanded Sesshoumaru. Julia sprinted towards the dragon as best she could, carrying Kohaku's weight, while keeping an eye on Rin. The force of the two combatants' attacks was shaking up the castle and made walking, let alone running, very difficult.

She reached Ah-Un and placed Kohaku in the saddle before turning to get Rin. Sesshoumaru was still a ways off watching the wolf and the wind fight. _Is he planning to help Kouga?_ Julia wouldn't get her answer to this, though, for the pair disappeared and the ground beneath her started to crumble.

She reached for Ah-Un's saddle, but missed as the ground beneath her feet vanished.

"Rin! Run!" Julia yelled, but it was too late and to her horror she saw Rin falling in after her.

---------------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru watched the two demons' battle, looking for an opening to take the wind demoness out. But, Kouga was fighting at close quarters so that Kagura would have little opportunity to use her more powerful wind attacks. Apparently, he'd learned a few things after their last fight. When they disappeared over the edge he was not sure what to do, and was about to follow them when the porch started to give way. Then that scream had grabbed his attention and his heart seemed to stop as he watched both Rin and Julia fall.

_NO!_ he thought, and in an instant he was descending after them. He caught up to Rin and captured her in his arm, then continued after Julia. Then, to his horror, he realized that he would not be able to catch her without the use of his other arm. Rin would slip out if he did not hold tight given the speed at which they were falling. He cursed his handicap and continued towards Julia. He _would_ save her.

Suddenly Tenseiga flared to life and he felt a tingling in his left shoulder. Reaching out towards Julia he was amazed to see that his arm had been restored. Adding a burst of speed to his descent he clasped Julia's outstretched hand and pulled her to him. Rising quickly he landed on the cliff opposite the castle and gently set the females down. Turning his attention to his newly restored limb and the still glowing Tenseiga he was immediately overwhelmed by a very familiar presence.

"You did not want your arm for your own selfish reasons, as you have in the past," said a voice in his head, "rather, to save someone whom you might think beneath you, and so I granted you your wish." The voice faded out. _Thank you, Father_. thought Sesshoumaru as he stared down at his companions.

Julia quietly consoled Rin, who did not quite seem to understand that she was now safe. But she was also staring up at him and his new arm. She looked as if she was going to speak when the sounds of battle reached their ears yet again.

"Kouga," she breathed and turned her head toward the crumbling castle. Sesshoumaru was off in an instant. He would help the wolf end Kagura's life, and then they would deal with Naraku.

Kouga was squatting on a small ledge beneath the remnants of the castle, breathing heavily, while Kagura floated a little ways off on one of her giant feathers.

"Kagura," Sesshoumaru declared as he landed beside Kouga, "we will finish this now!"

"Oh, this isn't fun anymore," she replied in her usual low voice. "Maybe some other time?" She sped off. Sesshoumaru moved to follow, but Kouga stopped him.

"No," the wolf called, "let her go. Naraku is who we have to deal with now. Kagome is in danger; we can't afford to play with Kagura any longer." Sesshoumaru nodded and returned to the opposite side of the cliff. Kouga leapt after him and followed him back to the girls. Sesshoumaru was relieved to see that Ah-Un had found the girls and that Julia had already situated the two children and herself in the saddle.

"Julia, take Rin and the boy back - " he began.

"Sesshoumaru," called a muffled voice. Quickly realizing what it was he pulled out the communication mirror to find a rather battered Inu Yasha staring back at him. "Naraku just up and left in the middle of the fight, I think he figured out what was going on. You guys better get out of there fast." Sesshoumaru nodded.

"Return to the castle, Inu Yasha," he commanded and moved quickly to get them all as far away as possible before Naraku made his appearance. As much as he hated running from a fight he knew that fighting while Rin and the others were in harm's way would not be wise, especially after having just saved them.

He grabbed Kouga and dragged him over to Ah-Un. Then, grabbing the dragon's reigns, he focused and transformed them all into a giant ball of energy and flew back towards his castle.

Rin was safe, and now the real battle would begin without any deceptions or trump cards. Naraku would pay tenfold for thinking that he could outsmart and outfight Sesshoumaru.

----------------------------------------

Miroku had called for Hatchi as soon as Naraku had run, so now they all floated through the air upon his back. Kagome thought of all the mischief the tanuki had caused in the past, but she was extremely grateful for his help right now. There was no way Kirara could carry them all to Sesshoumaru's, even if she hadn't been injured, and not one of them had escaped their encounter unscathed. Inu Yasha seemed to have fared the worst, though, as usual.

Kagome sat next to him as he rested, her hand atop his, his eyes closed, and she silently wished that he would not have to fight so hard all of the time. He was always right at the heart of the fight, trying to save everyone else from getting hurt. He claimed it was because he wanted to finish Naraku, but she knew that he was also trying to save his friends. Of their little band he alone had the most power and the best chance of beating Naraku, but even that seemed almost impossible.

If Naraku had not abruptly left the fight Kagome was almost positive they would not have lasted much longer. Sango had already been knocked unconscious, Kirara, having taking the brunt of the attack, was also hurt, and Miroku's arm was badly wounded. Inu Yasha had been blasted back by Naraku and had not gotten up immediately. Worried for him, Kagome had rushed to his side, her arrow notched and ready to fire at Naraku, but as she stood protectively in front of Inu Yasha Naraku had only stared at her and smiled one of his evil smiles. Arms crossed, he'd looked like he was contemplating how to kill them all when suddenly his smile had changed to a snarl and he'd transformed and flown off in his cloud of purple smoke.

At that point Inu Yasha had gotten up again and realized what was going on. Calling Sesshoumaru was the last thing he'd done before collapsing. She'd roused him only once since they began their journey to Sesshoumaru's, and that was to get directions. He was the only one who knew the way, and after telling her he'd closed his eyes and hadn't opened them since. Kagome stared off into the distance wondering how much further Sesshoumaru's castle was and if she should wake Inu Yasha to make sure they were still on course.

"Kagome," she heard his weak voice call as he squeezed her hand slightly. She turned her face back to his to discover that he had opened his eyes. "That was stupid, you know?" She drew her brows together at his statement. "Rushing out to me during the battle," he clarified. "Naraku could have killed you."

"He would have killed you if I hadn't," she shot back, slightly harsher than she meant to, but he simply stared up into space, a disturbingly peaceful look on his face. "But, it is okay now," she continued, "Naraku's gone and we are all okay." But, he still said nothing. Kagome was going to speak again when he suddenly started to sit up.

"No, Inu Yasha! You're still hurt," she said as she tried to keep him down, but with more strength that she thought he still had, he sat up.

"Kagome," he began, still holding her hand and looking her in the eye, "you can't do that anymore."

"But-"

"No," he cut her off, "I couldn't stand it if anything were to happen to you. When I saw you run out to me my insides felt like they had all turned to ice." Kagome was speechless and held captive by his eyes. Eyes that were Inu Yasha's and yet were somehow different with an intensity that matched his brother's.

"Kagome, when we face him again you have to promise me that you will stay out of it," he continued, his voice devoid of all sarcasm and spite. She felt compelled to nod, but she knew that if the same thing were to happen she would do it all over again.

"Ahem," interrupted a voice from the front of Hatchi. Turning she saw that Miroku had left Sango's side to come speak with them. "Inu Yasha, I believe we have reached the pass you were speaking about, but from here we need directions." Inu Yasha nodded and got up to follow Miroku back to the head of their ride.

Kagome watched them go, but did not follow. Staring out behind them she knew that her conversation with Inu Yasha was not over. She couldn't promise him such a thing because…because she did not know what she would do if he died either.

----------------------------------------

Inu Yasha saw the pass that acted as a gate to his ancestral home. How many years had it been since he'd last come this way? _Not enough_ he thought dryly. He'd run away and never thought he would be back, and yet here he was on the literal doorstep of his past.

He cringed at the thought of facing his brother in the state he was currently in. Naraku had done quite a number on him, a realization that was backed up by the sudden pain in his side. He had to have a few broken ribs at least, and he had an arm that was not faring so well, either. The plus side was that, given a day of rest, he would be fine, but the others were going to need more than a day.

He winced at the bandage around Miroku's arm, and the matching one around Sango's head. As strong as they were they were still only human, a condition that meant they took longer to heal. Inu Yasha had not wanted either to be hurt, but knew there was no way to stop them. They had as much reason as he did to want Naraku's death, but Kagome…Kagome did not need to be involved.

He glanced back at her. She was still seated in the rear, staring off behind them. He knew she must be thinking about what he had said. He meant it. He did not want her to be involved in their upcoming fight. Inu Yasha had sworn to kill Naraku to avenge the cruel deception played on himself and on Kikyou fifty years ago. But if Kagome were to be killed…he shuddered internally at the thought. No, he would not let that happen. Kagome would be far from the final battle.

"Hatchi, go in low." he ordered the tanuki. They were nearly there.

--------------------------------------------

Kagome joined the others to watch as they descended towards Inu Yasha's family home. The castle itself was a beautiful piece of architecture. Peeked roofs with traditional Japanese designs crowning its perimeter, a porch wrapping around the entire building, an outdoor hot spring, and beautiful garden were a few of the castle's wonders that she could see from the air as they approached.

"Inu Yasha, it's beautiful," she breathed.

"Keh," was his response, his eyes focused elsewhere. Arms folded across his chest, the half-demon stood proudly as they landed. Kagome followed his gaze to find Sesshoumaru at its point. He stood halfway up the steps to what looked like the main doors to the castle. Kagome wasn't surprised to see him there. Of course he would have sensed their arrival.

She was, however, surprised at the group of people standing at the base of the stairs. Kouga was there, a smug smile fixed on his face, with Julia standing a little ways away with Rin hugging her leg and looking a little apprehensive at the new arrivals. Kagome gave quick thanks that she was unharmed. But, the real shock was the young boy standing shyly to Julia's other side.

"Kohaku!" cried Sango as she leapt from Hatchi's back. She stumbled slightly as she landed, still not completely recovered. Kohaku ran forward to help her. She knelt there and held him at arm's length momentarily. Her eyes brimming with tears, she looked into his eyes. Kohaku stared back at her and Kagome could see that they were not the eyes of a stranger. Kohaku knew who Sango was.

"Kohaku," Sango said slowly one more time before enfolding him in a hug. Kohaku sank to his knees as well and hugged her back. Kagome was not even trying to hide her tears at their happy reunion. Miroku stood next to her with a genuine smile gracing his lips. Inu Yasha stood a little ways off, obviously happy, but still cautious with his hand on the hilt of his sword. Kagome could understand his apprehension. If Kohaku still had the shard Naraku had given him…

Then it hit her - there was no shard anywhere on Kohaku. However, that would mean Kohaku should be dead. But, once again Kagome slapped herself and glanced at Julia. She'd overlooked it before because of the shock of seeing Kohaku. Julia had two shards. Kagome walked past Sango, giving the other girl's shoulder a squeeze, and stopped in front of Julia.

"You have Kohaku's jewel shard," she said, getting Julia's attention. "How?" This apparently also got the attention of everyone else, even Sango.

"Oh," replied Julia, "Right, here, it's all yours," she said as she handed over the jewel shard. Kagome was only slightly surprised to see that shard no longer bore the dark taint that it'd had while possessing Kohaku. Julia had probably not thought once about it after she had stowed it in her pocket. _So much for needing to be a priestess_ Kagome thought and smiled inwardly.

"I'll tell you guys everything," Julia began again, "but first let's go in and get some food. Sesshoumaru has had a feast prepared and you guys have to be hungry."

"I think that is a great idea," Shippou piped up as he hopped up into Julia's arms. "Lead the way." However, Julia looked at Kagome for the 'okay' nod, which she gave gladly. They could definitely all use a warm meal in a comfortable setting.

Julia led the way, with Shippou on her shoulder and Rin holding her hand. Kagome noted that she smiled at Sesshoumaru as she passed and wondered what had prompted that. Sango, Kohaku and Miroku followed next with the two males helping Sango up the stairs. Kagome turned to see where Inu Yasha was only to find him staring up at his brother who was now looking back at him. _What is going on?_

"Inu Yasha." She called softly, but he did not acknowledge her. Looking back at Sesshoumaru she waited to see what would happen. Then, only slightly, Sesshoumaru inclined his head towards the castle and walked up the stairs. Quickly looking back at Inu Yasha she saw him shake his head and begin walking towards the stairs. But, as he did so, he stumbled slightly and Kagome ran to catch him.

"Inu Yasha, what was that all about?" she asked as she placed one of his arms over her shoulder and placed her other hand on his chest to steady him. He was really hurt much worse that he let on.

"That," he said, taking a deep breath and then wincing slightly, "was about the closest thing to a 'Welcome Home' that I'm gonna get." Kagome glanced up at Sesshoumaru's retreating back and realized that he was right.

"Did you notice, Kagome?" he asked suddenly.

"Notice what?" she asked back as they proceeded to the stairs.

"His arm, it's been healed," he explained. Kagome hadn't realized that either, but Sesshoumaru had been standing with his 'arms' crossed over his chest. _That is rather impossible to do with only one arm_ she told herself.

"Was it his?" she asked, still in shock at all the surprises she was faced with this evening. "Or was it another replacement?"

"I believe it is his," Inu Yasha replied. "I didn't smell anything foreign on him."

"Come on," she prompted him, "let's get in there and figure out exactly what is going on." He nodded, and they picked up their pace.

-------------------------------------------------

Julia sat outside her room in the cool night air. She had changed into her sleeping robe and gotten ready for bed, had even taken the time to braid her hair, but so much had happened that day that she just could not fall sleep. She had explained their part of Rin's rescue with colorful punctuations from Kouga about his battle with Kagura. She'd told them how Kohaku removed the shard on his own, how Sesshoumaru had saved him, and then had saved both her and Rin, and the miraculous growth of his new arm, though she could not explain how _that_ had happened.

The others listened, interested in every detail, but the hero of the day was noticeably absent from room. Sesshoumaru was nowhere to be seen. He stayed to hear about the fight with Naraku, which he'd insisted be told first, and then he left. Julia was not sure why he chose to be absent, but she had a good feeling it had to do with his being portrayed as caring about humans. Julia wondered if he even realized what it was that he had done.

After the meal the servants came in and showed everyone to their respective rooms. Julia was left with her own room, and was happy to see that Sango and Kagome had a room right across the hall from her. Inu Yasha apparently went directly to his old room, which was to the left of her own, and Miroku and Kohaku shared a room to her right. Kouga kept the room he had before, which was next to Sango and Kagome's. Shippou got to pick who he wanted to stay with and, not surprisingly, he chose Kagome's room.

Julia figured the others were probably all asleep by now, but as tired as she was she could not help going over the day's events. She figured a walk might help so she began a slow walk around the porch. She passed Inu Yasha's room and turned the corner to continue on around.

After they returned to the manor Sesshoumaru had been so busy giving orders to the servants for preparation for the evening meal and to tend to the injured that she had not had a chance to talk to him. Instead, she'd helped take care of Kohaku and Rin. The boy had woken up a short time later and was very confused by the entire situation. After he understood what had happened he'd looked happy at the prospect of seeing his sister, but was nervous about it at the same time. Rin had helped to take his mind off of it a little as she forced him to play with her in the garden. Julia had spent the rest of the afternoon watching the two children play, with no sign of Kouga or Sesshoumaru.

She was about to turn the corner to the front of the manor when she was stopped by a low voice.

"Late for a walk, isn't it?" Turning, she knew who she would find. Sesshoumaru leaned against the door to his room, arms crossed in front of him. He'd removed his armor and weapons, but still wore his usual white clothes, though he seemed to be missing his outer coat, sporting the simple white shirt he wore beneath it.

"Couldn't sleep," she explained, spreading her arms and shrugging. "I figured I'd take a walk and see if I could clear my head. Care to join me?" She wasn't sure why she had asked him that, maybe because she figured that he'd turn her down, but to her surprise he pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on, shut his door, and walked over to her.

She turned and resumed her trek around the manor. They walked in silence. Julia had a million questions circling around in her head, but she could find no way to bring up any of the topics…delicately. Normally she wouldn't care. Normally she would speak her mind, but for some reason she felt quite at ease strolling along with the handsome demon at her side. She was reveling in the fact that he had thought of someone other than himself this afternoon. She was beginning to see, and was hoping she was right, that there was more to him than just arrogance. She didn't want to be the first to break the silence, not this time.

They came to the steps in the front of the manor and Sesshoumaru gestured towards the garden. She nodded and they headed down the steps, each pausing to put on a pair of sandals that were kept at the steps' base. They walked together down the path in the garden, Sesshoumaru's hands clasped behind his back and hers in front.

"I have an answer to the question you asked me last night," he spoke suddenly. She looked up at him, slightly confused, trying to remember what question she had left him with the night before. Then it came to her.

"Why you saved Rin for a second time, you mean?" He nodded, "So, what's your answer?"

"Because I wanted to," he replied. It was a simple statement, but it caused her to stop walking momentarily. He paused also and turned to look at her. She didn't know how to respond to that. It was exactly what she had wanted to hear and she did not know what to say. 'Good boy Sesshoumaru, it looks like you're learning your lesson,' or 'Maybe now you can become a real boy.' Everything either sounded too trite or too much like a moral to a tale that had been told one too many times.

"Oh," was what she finally got out as she resumed walking. He fell in step with her and they continued on in silence once more.

"Why did you smile at me like that after I revived the boy?" he asked, in a voice that was almost unrecognizable as Sesshoumaru's, breaking the silence once more. Julia looked up at him, but he was still gazing straight ahead.

"I guess I was a little surprised," she admitted. "I was holding a dying boy in my arms and the next moment Rin was telling me that you had healed him. I was elated at the prospect of being able to return Sango's brother to her alive and well, and I was…" she paused, trying to find the right words.

"You were surprised that I had helped him." Sesshoumaru filled in for her, sounding a bit more like himself.

"Well, yes," she confirmed and looked down at the path. "You had told me the night before that you had only saved Rin the first time because you wanted to test your sword. That did not lead me to believe that you put any value on human life at all." She looked back up at him, "Why did you save him?" Sesshoumaru looked down at her then, his golden eyes reflecting the light of the almost full moon.

"For the same reason I saved Rin," he replied. "When she was taken I felt a heavy weight upon my heart. Seeing you both in tears over the boy's death caused the same pain. I knew how to heal that pain…so I did." She nodded at his answer and looked ahead of them once again. _That's one way to explain a foreign emotion_ she thought. "And before you ask, that is also why I chose to save your life." She jerked her head back towards him. It hadn't occurred to her to ask that question, but hearing him sort of admit to like her was somewhat surprising. _I guess I am no longer just a worthless human_ she thought, and smiled at the idea.

"Why do you do that?" he asked while looking at her.

"Do what?" she asked innocently, though she had some idea to what he was referring to.

"Smile like that, for no apparent reason, while we are speaking?" he explained, some irritation evident in his voice.

"You," she replied, receiving a raised eyebrow. She smiled again and then added, "You make me smile." He shook his head and looked ahead of them once again.

"Why did you leave tonight after the others had spoken of their battle?" she asked.

"I was at the other," he replied offhandedly. "I did not need to hear about it."

"But you could have helped fill in a few details," she explained as she realized that they had found their way to her favorite hill. She decided they had walked enough and promptly sat down, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Like what?" Sesshoumaru asked as he joined her.

"Like how your arm was suddenly able to regenerate," she prompted. His gaze suddenly turned inward and his face visibly grew softer.

"That is something between me and my father," he replied as he glanced down at his restored hand.

"I can respect that," she said honestly. "Lord knows, I have my secrets, too," she mumbled as she lay back on the ground, using her arm as a pillow.

"That is true enough," he added.

"I am never going to get used to that hearing bonus you have," she said with a small laugh. He only shrugged. Did she just see that right? Did Sesshoumaru actually _shrug_?

"But, you were right." he continued. She looked over at him, not sure what he was admitting. "I need to discover my father's real strength on my own." She smiled and nodded slightly to him. She didn't think she'd ever fully understand what he meant, but she knew something had affected Sesshoumaru's outlook on life.

She lay there looking up at the stars suddenly feeling very relaxed and comfortable.

-----------------------------

They sat there in silence for a moment more. Then Sesshoumaru gradually became aware of her very rhythmic breathing. Shifting so he could look at her, he saw that her eyes were closed and her lips were slightly parted, which confirmed his guess. She had fallen asleep. She looked so peaceful lying there, as though she hadn't a care in the world.

But, he knew that was not true. His eyes drifted to the jewel shard that hung about her neck. _A gift, you say, but who would part with such a treasure? Everyone in this day and age knows of the Jewel of Four Souls, how could a piece of it be given as a gift? And …_

"Why do you cling to her?" he asked in hushed tones, though he knew no answer would come. The jewel simply lay there in the hollow of her throat. Feeling his own fatigue setting in, he knew it was time to call it a night. Morphing all of them away from Naraku's had drained him substantially.

"Julia," he called softly, but she did not stir. Deciding that he could not leave her to sleep outside, he gently picked her up. She stirred momentarily; opening her eyes for a brief moment, but she did not wake. If anything, she seemed to get more comfortable in his arms. He carried her bridal-style back to the castle, her head resting on his shoulder.

He arrived at her room and skillfully slid the door open with his foot. He knelt, gently placed her on her futon, and covered her. He gazed at her for a moment longer, then stood and went to find his own dreams.

Not once did he even think about the fact that he had been ferrying around a human, at least, not until he was lying in bed trying to go to sleep. He threw his arm over his eyes and took a deep breath. _Give me strength_ he thought, and then shortly after finally found sleep.

---------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Could it be that Sesshoumaru is really just a big softy…

Also, you know I had to give him his arm back…

Please review.


	10. Brotherly Love

Update: Chapter edited.

Disclaimer: Ditto ditto

A/N: Wow, sorry, I meant to have this up by Sunday night, but unfortunately I was away from my computer all day. Anyway, just to make up for that I'll do another double update. Also, just wanted to say thanks for all of the compliments, they are very encouraging.

Chapter Ten: Brotherly Love

Julia slowly opened her eyes. Seeing a ceiling above her seemed strange, as the last thing she remembered seeing was the night sky. _So how did I get here_? she wondered. Deciding it didn't matter, she sat up and focused on her clothes at the foot of her bed.

Wakana had been true to her word and Julia's normal clothes were neatly folded there. However, she also noted another set of the clothes she had worn the day before. Much like Inu Yasha's without the overcoat and the legs weren't bound like his were. It had actually been pretty comfortable to work out in. Deciding that she would save her own clothes for another day she donned the period Japanese garb. She ran her brush through her hair a few times and then placed it in a high ponytail. There was really no point since it would probably be messed up shortly anyway, but it couldn't hurt.

Glancing down at her watch Julia knew that breakfast would already be ready, and she was eager to see how the others were faring, so she headed off down the hall towards the dining room. She didn't hear any noise as she walked by the others' rooms, but that didn't really mean anything. It was not like they were going to have radios or alarm clocks going off.

Sliding the door to the dining room open, she was overwhelmed by the aroma that blossomed from the room. It seemed that the cooks had gone to quite a bit of trouble for breakfast this morning. _First a banquet last night and now this, I'm going to need to do some major working out today_ she thought to herself.

"Julia!" called a voice from farther in the room. No sooner had she turned to see the owner than she was almost bowled over by a pair of strong arms wrapped around her legs.

"Good morning, Rin," she replied as she laid a hand on the small girl's head.

"Come sit by me." Rin commanded as she grabbed Julia's hand and dragged her farther into the room. Looking around Julia saw that Sesshoumaru was actually seated at the head of the room. Kouga was also there, as were Miroku, Kohaku and Shippou. It looked like Sango and Kagome had yet to join them, and Julia had no idea where Inu Yasha was.

Rin sat down in front of her small table on Sesshoumaru's right, sitting across from Kouga. Julia seated herself next to Rin, her smile in place, and glanced up at Sesshoumaru. He glanced back at her, but she couldn't read his mask. Just for him to be sitting there was a major feat though - she knew he had to be feeling something.

"Morning, guys," she greeted them. "Did you all sleep well?"

"Yes, Lady Julia," replied Miroku. "It had been a while since I've slept in a decent bed." He smiled brightly, but she could see that he was struggling with his chop sticks. The arm that he usually used was still bound and in a sling.

"Mmmmffff," added Shippou around a mouthful of food. It looked like he was already on his second or third helping.

"What?" she asked with a laugh.

"I said that the food is great, too," he clarified.

"How are you doing, Kohaku?" Julia asked when she did not get an answer from the small boy. He set his bowl and chopsticks down, and placed his hands in his lap. When Sesshoumaru had revived him he had also healed the wound on Kohaku's shoulder, so he did not have to deal with eating one-handed like poor Miroku.

"I," he said slowly, then looked up at her, "I'm not sure. I am grateful to be able to see my sister again, but after all of the horrible things I've done…" he drifted off and Julia could see him holding back tears. He had been fairly quiet the day before, and she did not want to press him into speaking. Then he changed his focus and looked at Sesshoumaru. "My lord, you should not have saved one such as myself."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Sango as she and Kagome walked in. "You did not do any of it. Naraku was simply using your body like a tool." She had marched over to Kohaku and embraced him. "It wasn't you, little brother. You are not that kind of person." They hugged for a moment longer and then Sango released him.

"You should eat, sister," Kohaku insisted. "You need to replenish your strength." Sango nodded and took a seat next to him. Julia glanced back at Sesshoumaru to find that he was watching the siblings with a mild look of interest on his face, but for Sesshoumaru that was really something.

"Where is Inu Yasha?" asked Kagome, taking a seat next to Julia.

"Not sure," she replied, looking over at the girl before Sesshoumaru caught her staring at him.

"He was here earlier, but left almost as soon as he arrived," answered Miroku.

"Julia," she felt a tug on her shoulder as Rin called her name, "will you play with me today?" Looking down she saw the little girl's big bright eyes pleading with her to say yes.

"I think that can be arranged." she replied, smiling brightly. "After all, Kouga's in no condition to spar," she added, throwing a mischievous glance the wolf's way.

"Hah," he laughed back, "even this handicap would not give you an edge over me."

"Sparring?" asked Kagome in between bites.

"Well, it was something to do." Julia answered, shrugging her shoulders. "Kouga really is a very good teacher." Then she put her hand up to cover her mouth and whispered to Kagome, "But if he were human I could take him." Kagome giggled.

"But, I am not human and even then, NO, you still could not take me." He fake-growled and punched the ground lightly causing everyone in the room to laugh. Looking to the head of the room Julia noted that Sesshoumaru seemed unaffected by their antics as he looked on with the same bored expression he always wore.

"Well, I'm good to go," she said once the giggles had died down. "Shippou, Kohaku, do you want to come with us so Rin can show us what's fun around here?" Shippou immediately jumped onto her shoulder, but Kohaku didn't respond right away. Rin was already starting to drag her out the door.

"I think it would be good for you to go play again, Kohaku," Sango prompted. Kohaku looked at her, nodded, and then joined them. _This is going to be interesting_ Julia thought as she placed a guiding hand on his shoulder. _Trying to play with a kid who has probably forgotten how to play will not be easy._ She glanced back at Sango and saw that she was watching with worry etched clearly on her face. Julia gave the demon exterminator a reassuring smile – well, at least she hoped it was reassuring.

------------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru watched Julia leave with the children and made a mental note to relieve Jaken of his babysitting duties for the day. He knew his faithful retainer would be happy for the reprieve in his duties.

The others in the room were now chatting about nothing that he considered important. He had only come this morning because he knew that Rin would want it. He normally never ate with her, but she had been through an ordeal and there were new people in his home so he knew he should be present for her. It still surprised him when he thought about the implications of these newfound insights, but he quickly pushed them away and went on with business.

"Naraku has changed his base," he said, interrupting the others' conversation. They all stopped speaking and looked at him. Inu Yasha even stepped inside the door at this point. Sesshoumaru knew his younger half-brother was close by and he had expected him to appear when the conversation turned serious. "We will need to relocate him before we can strike."

"How do we do that?" asked Kouga, rubbing the injury on his arm.

"That is being taken care of," replied Sesshoumaru. He would not give them a more detailed explanation of his father's network of spies. The fact that he was using it at all now chaffed at his sense of pride. But, it would be the quickest way to their goal.

"Why don't we just go for a stroll outside the barrier?" suggested Inu Yasha, sarcasm lacing his voice. "Then he'll find us."

"Because that would be idiotic," replied Sesshoumaru, staring at his brother. _Surely even my idiot of a half-brother cannot be _that_ dense._ "That would give Naraku the advantage of surprise and allow the fight to happen at a time of his choosing. This would keep you on edge and fearful until he struck."

"Yeah, but we are also giving him time to devise a better way to defeat us." Inu Yasha shot back, his eyes not leaving Sesshoumaru.

"But if that were the case he wouldn't attack us until he was ready, anyway," responded Sesshoumaru, astounded at the lack of tactical training Inu Yasha had. _He did run away before he was educated in the ways of leadership_ Sesshoumaru reminded himself. _But…would I have allowed that training?_ he wondered. Sesshoumaru continued to stare at his brother, refusing to break eye contact. _Hmph__…at least he has the pride befitting a son of a father such as ours._

"Okay," interjected Sango, "but, how do we defeat Naraku once we find him?"

"He seemed affected by Inu Yasha and Sesshoumaru attacking at the same time," Miroku answered. "Perhaps a concentrated combined effort would deal enough damage to him." Sesshoumaru did not answer, nor did Inu Yasha.

"And what are the rest of us supposed to do?" asked Kouga, obviously annoyed at not being considered strong enough to affect Naraku.

"Do not forget that Naraku will, most likely, not be working alone this time. He knows that Sesshoumaru is working with us now. Kagura is sure to be there as well as Kana and whatever else Naraku can come up with." Miroku replied, using a calm lecturing tone that had probably perfected over time by having to simplify things for Inu Yasha.

Sesshoumaru was mildly amused that the monk would be so rational for a human. The monk's ideas on how to approach the coming battle were along the same lines that Sesshoumaru was thinking, but he would never have suggested that he and Inu Yasha work together. However, as the monk said, their combined power did seem to weaken Naraku's defenses considerably. Sesshoumaru had given his word to work with the others, but he was not sure Inu Yasha would put aside the past long enough to understand this necessity. In fact, the look in Inu Yasha's eyes said he was going to say something along those lines.

"Since we don't know where Naraku is, I think that the best thing to do for right now is to concentrate on getting everyone better." Kagome said suddenly as she stood and walked over to Inu Yasha. _She must have sensed Inu Yasha's unrest_ thought Sesshoumaru. _She has such patience with him._

"I will let you know when he is found," Sesshoumaru stated. He'd had enough of this conversation and saw no point in continuing it.

He stood gracefully and left the room via the main hall. He would see what Jaken had left for him to look over. His faithful retainer had said very little about the presence of the humans, but Sesshoumaru knew that he was not happy. Jaken had not been present during his father's reign, so of his servants he was the one most affected by their allowance in his home. _Jaken__ will just have to deal with it for now._ Sesshoumaru had given his word, as he kept having to remind himself, so for now they would be welcome. They would defeat Naraku and he would go back to his human-free life. _Well,_ he corrected himself mentally, _except for Rin._ Then, an image of Julia smiling at him flashed through his mind.

Shocked, he paused at the door to his study, a hand outstretched and ready to slide the door open. _Why would_ she _suddenly appear in my mind?_ he wondered. Shaking off the thought, he continued on into the room where he would hopefully drown such unsettling thoughts in reports.

------------------------------------------

Inu Yasha stood for a moment more and then sat down after Sesshoumaru left. Kagome sat down next to him, thankful that he had held back a moment ago. She knew, regardless of the facts, that Inu Yasha did not want to fight along side his brother. He was still holding a grudge that had begun when he was only a child.

"How do you think his arm was healed?" asked Miroku, looking up at Inu Yasha. Kagome and Sango both followed his gaze.

"How am I supposed to know that?" answered Inu Yasha, looking around wide-eyed at everyone. "Maybe he had a spare."

"It just seems odd that it would occur while he was saving Rin and Julia," explained Miroku, obviously staving off irritation at Inu Yasha's childish attitude.

"Julia said that Tenseiga seemed to be glowing for a short time afterwards," added Kagome, "Perhaps it healed him. After all it did protect him from being killed by Inu Yasha."

"True, but why now?" asked Miroku as he rubbed his chin. "It is possible that it is because Julia is human and the only way to save her was with his missing arm. But, still, that would mean that Sesshoumaru _wanted_ to save her." Everyone looked at Miroku, shock evident on their faces.

"You're telling me that my human-hating brother wanted to save a human!?" Inu Yasha spat out as he punched the floor.

"Well, yes," Miroku replied, unaffected by Inu Yasha's outburst, "it is the only theory that makes sense."

"He did save Rin." added Sango, apparently trying to help Miroku out.

"Look, my brother _hates_ anything human!" yelled Inu Yasha. "Believe me, I should know." He looked at everyone for a moment and then left the room. Kagome began to follow, but Miroku caught her arm and shook his head.

"He needs to work through this." Kagome nodded, Miroku was right. What could she say to him right now? Inu Yasha had spent his life trying to rid himself of his human blood, and somewhere inside of him he must have been doing it to gain the approval of his brother. Now, for some reason, there were humans more important to Sesshoumaru than his own, albeit half, brother.

"Yeah, let Dog Breath have his sulk." Kouga added with a smirk. Kagome smiled weakly at him, but her heart was too heavy.

"I'm going to go find Julia and the kids," she told them as she walked towards the door.

"I think I'll join you," Kouga replied as he rose to follow her. "After all, you don't really know your way around this place yet."

"We'll catch up later." Sango called just as Kagome reached the door.

Kagome wondered if Julia might have any advice for her. She was a woman, after all, and much more mature than she was. No. Kagome couldn't betray Inu Yasha like that; he would never want her to share his past with others.

They reached the back porch and looked out over the small field and stand of trees in the distance. Julia was apparently playing tag with the kids and it looked like Shippou was 'it'.

"Why is Shippou chasing them?" asked Kouga, scratching his head.

"They are playing 'Tag'," she answered, but Kouga looked, if anything, more confused. "Come on, I'll show you, but you can't use your shards." Kouga smiled at her and followed her out to the others.

-----------------------------------------

Julia had spent the last two days basically babysitting, though Kagome and Kouga also decided to help out. Sango and Miroku would sit out under a tree watching, but, as they were still recovering, they did not join in the rousing games of 'Tag' and 'Hide and Seek'. Inu Yasha would sometimes join Sango and Miroku, but he did not join in with the games. Ever since he had arrived it seemed like he was a different person from the one Julia had originally traveled with. She knew it had something to do with his brother, but Kagome had seemed reluctant to talk about it so she did not press the issue.

His brother had been another mystery. After his appearance at breakfast the other morning she had not seen him. She wasn't sure if he was avoiding everyone or was just 'busy' like the last time he vanished. When she asked Rin about it she just smiled and said she had no idea what Julia was talking about. Apparently she had just seen him the night before when he checked on her before she went to sleep.

They were currently being given a lesson on how to make a flower chain by Rin. Even Kohaku and Shippou were trying, and Shippou was actually really good at it. He had almost woven a complete heart.

"Julia," a small voice called her out of her thoughts, "Julia?"

"Yes, Rin?" she replied, looking down at the little girl.

"Are you going to stay here always and play with me?" she asked, eyes big and hopeful, hands resting on Julia's knees.

"I…I don't know Rin," she answered honestly, giving the girl a small smile.

"You are going to leave?" she asked scrunching her nose up and causing a cute pout to appear on her face.

"Maybe," she replied, "but not yet. There is still a lot to do."

"Is Kagome going to leave too?" asked Shippou taking an interest in the conversation.

"Oh, I…" she didn't know how to answer that question. The choice was really Kagome's and she had no idea what the girl was thinking. "Shippou, I don't know. I know she wants to complete the jewel, but I don't know what she will do once that is done."

"Can't you come back and visit, with Kagome too?" asked Rin.

"I'm not sure, Rin," she replied. "Kagome and I, well, we are from a place that is…much different from here." Rin looked up at her, confusion written on her tiny features. Shippou understood, but he looked as though he did not like it.

"Hey," Julia said brightly, trying to change the topic, "I bet the evening meal is just about ready. Kohaku? Why don't you go help these two get cleaned up?" Kohaku nodded and led the way back to the manor. He had perked up a lot in the last couple of days and seemed to respond well to the task of watching the younger two kids.

Julia looked down at the small flower chains they had been making and wondered how much longer she would be able to stay. She hadn't really thought about it much. She was just going along with the others; the future didn't really seem to exist anymore. She got up and began walking towards the manor.

But, she knew she would be going back, regardless of what she had told Rin. This was not her time. As much as she marveled at its beauty she knew that she did not belong here. Deciding that she did not want to go and sit down to dinner yet she walked past the room and wandered into the front garden, intent on finding her hillside and a little solitude.

She did not know what Kagome was thinking. Would she stay, would she go back for good, or would she attempt to continue a double life? Like her, Kagome belonged in the future, but she knew that the girl had found love here in the past. It seemed an impossible love affair.

As she walked the paths she thought of her stroll with Sesshoumaru a couple of nights ago. She had felt completely at ease walking with him. They had even ended the night civilly with no animosity between them. _That had to be a first _she thought and smiled. At least…she thought it had. She was almost positive she had fallen asleep and that it had been Sesshoumaru who took her back to her room. He had not said anything to her the following day, nor after that. Was it possible that somehow she had managed to offend him? _Why am I over analyzing this?_ she scolded herself. _It's just typical Sesshoumaru being his reclusive self, that's all._ She nodded her head to affirm what she had just thought.

She could see hints of the sunset through the small stand of trees that created her secluded hillside. It would be gorgeous like it always was, but she never got tired of watching them. There was a magical quality about sunsets, especially the ones here in the past. She came around the last tree and stopped.

Sesshoumaru was standing at the edge of hillside, arms crossed over his chest, staring out at the horizon. Julia stared - it was almost like the day when he and Inu Yasha had first faced Naraku together. The light caught the loose strands of hair that blew slightly, shimmering, in the light breeze. Then Sesshoumaru turned his face towards hers and simply stared at her. She was slightly spellbound by his gaze. The whole scene was…magical.

"Oh," she said, realizing that she was staring at him, "sorry, I didn't know you were here. I just came to watch the sunset, but I'll go if you'd like to be alone." He shook his head, which she assumed meant he did _not_ want to be alone. So, taking it as an invitation, she walked over to the edge of the clearing and stood next to him, only to sit down a moment later.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She looked up at him, not expecting a spoken answer and was pleasantly surprised.

"Yes." It was only one word, but it meant that he was not upset with her. She felt silly about that, but for some reason it set her mind, and heart, at ease.

"Thank you," she said, after a silence had settled upon them once more.

"For what?" he asked.

"For not letting me wake up covered in dew the other morning," she explained and smiled up at him. He slightly nodded his head, so she assumed he was saying 'You're welcome', or, at the least, that he remembered the event.

They lapsed into silence once more, but she didn't feel like breaking it again. Instead she focused on the beauty in front of her. The sun was about halfway hidden behind the mountains in the distance. The clouds lining the mountains were taking on brilliant shades of pink and magenta that faded into a darkening sky above them. She was so absorbed in it she did not notice when Sesshoumaru sat down next to her. But, there he sat, one knee up, arm resting on it, still gazing out to the horizon.

They watched the sun finally set, no words between them, but Julia felt glad that she had been able to share it with someone. It just made the moment all the more…she couldn't call it romantic, she knew Sesshoumaru would have no interest in a human, but it was definitely more special.

-----------------------------------------------

When she appeared on the hillside he was slightly surprised. He had many things on his mind and he had not planned on one of them appearing before him. He knew he could have asked her to leave, but part of him wanted her to stay. Somehow he felt at ease in her company, much like the other night when they had walked together.

"So have you been avoiding all of us, or are you just doing your Lord stuff again?" she asked, bringing him out of his thoughts. He was about to rebuke her when he saw the mischievous smile playing across her lips.

"I have been trying to discover Naraku's new base," he answered plainly, staring out at the last remnants of light peeking out from behind the mountains. He never got tired of watching the sun leave the sky.

"Any luck?" He shook his head, slightly annoyed at the fact that it was taking so long to locate the half-demon. "What will you guys do to beat him when the time comes? Kagome and the others really weren't all that clear on anything." He looked over at her. She was resting her head on her raised knees looking off at the horizon.

"The monk seems to feel that the combined strength of my Tokijin and Inu Yasha's Tetsusaiga will deal sufficient damage to Naraku," he stated in a monotone. He still did not know what to think of the idea.

"The monk?" he heard her mumble under her breath. "Oh, Miroku," she said a little louder. "I have such a hard time thinking of him as a holy man." She laughed a little and shook her head.

"Well, I guess that makes sense," she continued, "Naraku did turn tail and run the last time you both attacked him." She looked over at him, "But, you sound skeptical. Why?" He frowned slightly – she had touched on another of the topics occupying his thoughts.

"Is it because you would have to work with Inu Yasha?" she asked, though it sounded more like a statement than a question. "That's no real secret. The bad blood between the two of you, I mean. You yourself have said so." He took a deep slow breath. Again, he knew that he did not have to tell her anything, but like before he felt that he could speak to her.

"My father treated humans with kindness, and protected those in his domain. The other Lords are not as kind. Once my mother died and the other Lords' opinions of my father's practices started to change so did mine, especially after he married Inu Yasha's mother." He paused and looked out at the horizon. "So, I have hated humans, perhaps not all of my life, but for the majority of it and that hatred has included my half-human brother."

"Once my father died I allowed Inu Yasha and his mother to continue living with us out of respect for my father, but I turned my back on the cruelty shown them. After his mother died and Inu Yasha ran away I did not care - I thought that he would die shortly on his own and the memory of my father's affair with a human would soon fade."

"But he did not die. I would hear rumors of his exploits and they did nothing to improve my opinion of him. In fact, it only infuriated me to learn that he continued to survive to spread dishonor on our family's name." Sesshoumaru paused again and searched her face for some reaction, yet, as before, she showed no outward emotion other than interest. "When I heard that a human had been the one to bring him down by sealing him to a tree I was yet again disappointed. It happened at a time when he could have actually been useful in a fight against a family foe my father had defeated a century or so earlier." He paused yet again, reliving the past and reflecting on his most recent battle with the cats. He could almost consider his half-brother redeemed after that fight.

"Yeah, I guess you could call that 'bad blood'." Julia remarked suddenly, causing him to look over at her. She was staring off to the horizon much like he was a moment ago. "But what about now?"

"Now," he repeated, attempting to collect his thoughts, "now, I don't know." She looked over at him and he could see the questions in her eyes. "I no longer have a desire to end his life, but old feelings die hard." She raised an eyebrow at his comment and gave him a half-smile. "But, I gave my word to work with him and that I will do. Inu Yasha, however …"

"You don't think he will cooperate?" she filled in for him. He nodded his head. "You know, you could always talk to him." She made it sound so simple, but he could not remember a time he had said more that two words to his brother when he was not threatening his life. He arched an eyebrow at her, causing her to chuckle slightly, "Alright, I guess maybe not. But still, it can't hurt to try," she finished with a shrug. "Sometimes I even wish I had gotten closer to my younger half-siblings," she said quietly a moment later.

"What?" he asked, astounded that she had said something about her life. She was so tight-lipped about that he had given up asking.

"Oh, nothing," she said off-handedly, trying to cover for her slip, "Come on, we should get to the food before Shippou and Inu Yasha eat it all."

"Did you also promise to keep your past a secret?" he asked halting her in her progress to stand. She sat back down and looked at him, her eyes holding a touch of sadness.

"No," she replied softly, "It is just that I…I don't…" she paused and then took a deep breath. "My mother died when I was pretty young. She and I were very close and I still don't talk about it much. But, you told me your past, so I guess it is only fair to share mine." She gave him a smile and shifted until she sat comfortably once more.

He listened to her speak of her mother and the affect her mother's death had had. Of her father's new wife and family and of her feeling like an outsider in her own home – her experience was much like his own. But, she had been the one to leave her family behind.

"So I left and didn't look back," she concluded.

"I am sorry for your loss," he surprised himself at his words, but for some reason they felt right.

"Thank you," she replied, "but you know, in a way her dying gave me the strength to spread my wings. If I hadn't I might never have met you…and the others. I think that maybe she has been guiding me." She smiled at him and then he saw it. The same look of trust in her eyes that she had when she spoke with the wolf.

Then he did something that Jaken had once described as a sign that someone was sure to die. He smiled, but he had no intention of harming her.

--------------------------------------------

Julia's breath caught in her throat and her heartbeat seemed to rise rapidly. He was smiling. He was smiling at her. He really had changed from the man she had met only a couple weeks ago. Oh, he was still arrogant, there was no doubt about that, but the way he treated everyone seemed to have altered. Now that smile…she had always thought he was handsome, but that smile almost made her forget he was a demon lord.

"I think it is time I went to get something to eat," she said, not only break their little moment of silence, but to stave off the silly school girl feelings that seemed to be overcoming her better senses.

"Good night then, Julia," he replied. She nodded and smiled as she stood to return to the manor.

When she discovered that he was not coming with her she breathed a little sigh of relief. This would give her time to clear her head. _He is a demon lord_ she reminded herself. _Remember? And he's a demon lord who has spent most of his life hating humans, at that. No amount of good deeds is going to change that fact._ She knew she would be fooling herself if she even thought for a second Sesshoumaru would look at her as anything other than a lowly human. _Bah,_ she said to herself, _it doesn't matter._ It wasn't like she had any interest in getting involved in the kind of relationship that Kagome was going through. _Problem solved_ she thought firmly as she hurried on to the dining room.

-----------------------------------------

Kagome had wondered where Julia was all through dinner, but no one seemed to know anything. The kids had said she was right behind them, but she hadn't appeared. Kagome had wanted to stay until she knew Julia was alright, but decided that the woman would not be in any trouble on Sesshoumaru's lands. So she left in search of Inu Yasha, who had also not shown up, though she had some idea as to why that was.

He had been fairly quiet the last couple of days. He would sit with them and watch some of the antics that ensued when they were entertaining the children, but he would not join in. Not that she really expected him to, although she could see him staring from time to time like he wanted to.

She had given him some time to dwell on his past, but she had decided that if he was not going to open up then she would just have to do a little prying. Defeating Naraku was more important that keeping Inu Yasha's pride intact. Besides, Sesshoumaru seemed willing to go along with it and if he could do it there was no reason why Inu Yasha should be acting so childish.

She had no idea as to where he was, but she figured the best place to start would be his room so she headed in that direction. She walked past the other boys' rooms on her right and left, then she passed her and Julia's rooms. She was going to continue on to Inu Yasha's but felt a familiar presence from the room right next to hers. It was a room that she had never been in and had never looked into as the door was always kept shut. She hesitated for a moment, but decided that she had to go through with it.

Upon sliding the door open she was slightly taken back by the sight. It looked to be a shrine room dedicated to Inu Yasha's father. There was a rather large mural covering the back wall depicting him in his true form protecting a village from an onslaught of demons. It was much like what Sesshoumaru had looked like when he transformed all those months ago. Various weapons decorated the other walls of the room, and in front of the mural wall stood a set of armor. It was in front of this that she finally laid eyes on Inu Yasha kneeling with his head slightly bowed. He looked so reverent, a look she had never, not even once, seen on his face. Not even when they were back in the cave where she had first seen a statue of his father.

"What is it, Kagome?" His voice shook her out of her thoughts and she felt her cheeks burning. She felt so embarrassed about barging in and interrupting him, she hadn't even knocked first.

"I, um, I just needed to talk to you," she answered, her face still flushed. He turned his head so that he could see her, but she wished he hadn't as it only made the blush worse, "but I didn't mean to interrupt, so it can wait." She turned to leave, but his voice called her back.

"It's about working with Sesshoumaru, huh?" She turned back around and nodded. He shifted and sat on the ground, raising one knee and resting his arm on it. "Has Naraku been found?"

"No," she answered, "but it is only a matter of time, right?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I don't think much can get by my father's network, and I am sure that Sesshoumaru is pushing them extra hard."

"When the time comes, will you work with him?" She asked, getting right to the heart of it. This issue could not be avoided.

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" he asked back, ice lacing his voice. She knew his anger was not directed at her, but she still felt it. "Naraku is too powerful for either of us to handle alone, right? So what other choice do I have?" She could see that he did not want to admit that as he practically had to choke it out. She merely shrugged her shoulders. She knew there was no other choice. It would take everything they had to bring down Naraku.

"So maybe you should try to…" She didn't know how to phrase her suggestion, but fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, Inu Yasha could tell what she was getting at.

"Try to what? Play nice? Become bosom buddies with my big brother?" He stood then and turned to his father's armor, arms crossed over his chest. "Why, Kagome? Why?" She was about to tell him because it would make the life in the castle a lot less tense when he continued his question. "Why did he hate me and my mother so much back then and now he can't seem to get enough of humans?"

"Inu Yasha, I…" she didn't know the answer to that question, she barely knew Sesshoumaru, but she knew he needed to hear something. "I guess it is just that people change." He turned his head and looked at her. "But, if it makes you feel any better, I don't think he is all that happy about having all of us here," she added with a small smile.

-------------------------------------

"You honestly think he can change?" he asked, turning fully towards her. "You've seen what he is capable of and you really think he can change?" She walked over to him and placed a hand on his folded arms.

"You did." Her voice was hushed, but he had no trouble picking up the words as she looked into his eyes. At first he was shocked that she would compare him to his brother, but a moment of reflection brought forth the realization that he _had_ changed quite a bit, especially since he had met Kagome. "Maybe you should try talking with him?" Her eyes told him she was serious about the suggestion, but he could not help but laugh.

"I don't think he has changed _that _much, Kagome," he replied. He was still reeling with the idea of Sesshoumaru actually accepting humans, but he did not think that his dear brother was ready for a heart-to-heart. Hell, he didn't think _he_ was ready for one, either.

----------------------------------------------------------

A/N: You gotta love that smile…

I'd ask for a review, but I know you wanna keep going, so I'll wait to make my plea ;D


	11. Boys will be Boys

Update: Chapter edited.

Disclaimer: Usual stuff, Inu and co are not mine…oh well.

A/N: as promised here is the second update…have fun…I know I did ;D

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Eleven: Boys will be Boys

Julia now stood opposite her opponent, ready for him to make a move, not taking anything for granted. It had been a few days since she had faced him, but she could handle it. _Ah, here he comes._

Kouga had told her first thing this morning that he was ready to give it a go again. He'd insisted that he was fine sooner, but she'd had her hands full with the kids, or at least, that was her excuse. Kouga really did need some time to heal, but she knew he would go stir crazy soon if he wasn't doing more than babysitting. Even having Kagome at the castle did not seem to help.

Inwardly, though, Julia was also glad for the distraction. She had fun playing with the kids, but it gave her far too much time to think, especially during games such as hide and seek. The only time she was ever found with any speed was when it was Kohaku's turn to seek. Today she really did not want to think about anything. Regardless of her somewhat decisive decision the previous night she still found herself thinking about the demon lord's supposed change of heart.

"Keh, you'll never learn anything from that wimpy wolf," a familiar voice shot, cutting through her thoughts. She followed Kouga long enough to see him stand down before turning her attention to Inu Yasha. She knew better than to let her guard down because of little distractions.

"Like you would know anything about _real_ fighting, Dog Breath," Kouga shot back, arms crossed over his puffed out chest. Julia could see Kagome glaring at the boys and knew that a tongue lashing was on its way. So Julia decided to have a little fun.

"Why don't we settle this right now?" she suggested, placing one hand on her hip and gesturing with the other. "Why don't you two spar?" Inu Yasha cracked his knuckles and grinned, almost evilly if that was possible. Kouga simply stood, a confident smile gracing his lips.

"Wait," called Kagome as she came to stand next to Julia, "I don't know if this is such a good idea, I mean they were both hurt in the last battle and -"

"Nah, they're fine." Julia interrupted. "Besides, it's not like they are going to kill each other." Though, judging by the boys' expressions, she could see that they may have had that in mind. "So, how about we lay down a couple of ground rules?" They both stared at her. "What? Did you think I was going to let you two tear each other to pieces? Here's the deal - you guys go three rounds, best two out of three wins, and each round is decided by one of you landing a solid punch on the other. This _is_ just sparring after all."

"Keh, he'll be knocked out the first time I lay a hand on him." Inu Yasha bragged. "We won't even need three rounds."

"You say that now, Mutt-face, but you know you would be the one kissing the ground." Kouga shot back.

"So let's see it." Julia prompted. "Are you two game? If not, I'd rather be working out right now instead of watching you two blow hot air." There was a nod from each combatant. "Good. Take your positions." Kouga and Inu Yasha moved away from the two girls and stood facing each other. "Ready...begin!"

The speed at which they rushed each other was incredible. Julia watched as they lunged and jabbed, each trying to land the first punch. Julia was wondering how she would be able to tell when one or the other actually managed to succeed. Glancing over at Kagome she could see the worry on her face.

"Don't worry, Kagome," Julia said, returning her gaze to the match. "They needed this."

"What do you mean?" asked Kagome, not taking her eyes off the fight.

"Just what I said. Inu Yasha's been wanting to beat something up since he got here and Kouga just really wanted to beat Inu Yasha up." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kagome's mouth form a silent 'oh.'

"What is going on out here?" called Sango as she and Miroku came to join them.

"Eh, they just needed to blow off some steam," Julia replied, glancing back at the pair.

"I always knew it would come to this." Miroku remarked as he shook his head. "What's the prize?" he asked, glancing towards Kagome.

"No prize, Miroku." Julia replied, rolling her eyes. "They're each just trying to prove they're the best." She glanced at Kagome, thankful that she seemed oblivious to the little interchange that had just happened. Julia knew that Kouga would definitely take the opportunity to show up Inu Yasha. She wished there was something she could do about that, but she knew that the three of them had to work that out.

"So are they just going to fight until one or both of them can't move any more?" Sango asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

"What? Oh, no." Julia proceeded to explain the rules she had set up before the match began and what had actually prompted the idea. Still, in all that time, neither combatant had managed to land a single punch on the other.

"It actually looks like Inu Yasha is using his head." Miroku commented as he took a seat on the grass. Sango followed suit and nodded her head in agreement.

Julia was also going to sit down when she heard the kids come running towards them. Shippou was leading the little band with Rin and Kirara close on his heels. Kohaku brought up the rear, looking for all the world like a sort of rear guard.

"See? I told you they were fighting." Shippou squeaked. "Kagome, aren't you going to stop them?" Shippou's landing on her shoulder brought Kagome out of the daze that she seemed to be in.

"Hmm, no Shippou, not this time," she replied softly.

"But they might kill each other!" he blurted, clearly afraid for his friend. Julia had felt some of the animosity between the two, but she could tell that Shippou looked up to Inu Yasha as sort of a father figure, or maybe…as an older brother.

"No, they are just playing this time." Kagome explained to the little fox, though Julia could hear some of the uncertainty in her voice. Shippou just looked more confused.

"It is okay, Shippou." Julia interrupted gently. "No one is going to die." The fox kit looked a little less nervous and decided to join Rin and Kohaku back on the ground. Kirara wandered over to where Sango was and curled up next to her, watching the fight as intently as everyone else.

"YOU'RE TOO SLOW, DOG BREATH!" The taunt brought all of Julia's attention back to the fight. Kouga had apparently just dodged one of Inu Yasha's attacks by back-flipping out of the way. However, Julia cringed when she saw what was waiting for him.

"DON'T BE SO FULL OF YOURSELF!" shot back Inu Yasha as he appeared behind Kouga and managed to trip him, pin him and punch him in the gut all in one swift motion. So shocked by the sudden onslaught of action, Julia momentarily forgot that she should probably step up as referee.

"First round goes to Inu Yasha!" she called as she ran up to them. "Are you guys okay?" she asked in a quieter voice.

"Like that actually hurt." Kouga sneered, holding his gut as he stood.

"I just didn't want you to complain about a stupid handicap while I beat you down in the next round, you wimpy wolf," shot back Inu Yasha as he removed his red jacket. It had apparently started to come lose. "I'll even take off my armor so you can't say I was cheating." Inu Yasha's eyes narrowed as he tossed his coat aside. Julia made a mental note to ask Kagome what he had meant by armor - the garment looked like nothing more than cloth.

"Okaaaaay, so I am going to take that as a 'yes'," she commented more to herself, before continuing in a louder voice. "Okay, are you guys ready for round two?" They took their positions and stood ready. Julia took that opportunity to back away from the 'battle field.' "Begin!" she shouted and immediately they were back in action.

----------------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru had heard the commotion start even from his study and despite himself he was curious. He was only moments behind the demon hunter and the monk, but decided to keep his presence unknown. So from a vantage point amongst the trees, where he had first watched Julia and Kouga spar, he watched the fight between his half-brother and the wolf.

However, his gaze wandered more than once towards the woman he had found occupying his thoughts of late. She stood there with the other humans, watching the fight and apparently explaining what was going on. Of that Sesshoumaru did not care. He had known there was tension between those two and figured something like this would happen. Besides, the others were not rushing to stop them and Julia wore a smile as she spoke to the others so it must not be too serious.

A smile. It seemed that in that moment last night when he had smiled that he had felt something from her that he had yet to experience. She was nervous. It was not quite the same thing as fear, it was less extreme in nature and not as prominent, but it was there. He had sat there after she left, wondering what had caused her to feel so, only to return to the castle with his question still unanswered and wondering why he felt some small sense of triumph for evoking that feeling. Still, even watching her now, he did not fully understand what had happened.

The arrival of the children had brought his attention back to the fight. He watched as the two moved in and out and saw when Kouga made a mistake that would be his downfall if Inu Yasha saw it, too. To Sesshoumaru's utter surprise his brother did exactly what he would have done and had Kouga flat on his back in a matter of seconds.

"Hmm," he smirked to himself. That was unexpected. His brother had actually done something _right_. Julia seemed to be making sure of something and then suddenly ran back and called for round two to begin. It was then that Sesshoumaru fully understood what was going on. It was indeed a game, a tournament that they were holding, though why it had begun he could not say.

The two had leapt back into battle as soon as she had spoken. Kouga looked, if anything, more determined in his fight against Inu Yasha. Inu Yasha, on the other hand, had taken on a cocky attitude that Sesshoumaru recognized. He was too confident. _One win and he lets it all go to his head, gods he is still just a pup. Perhaps it would be good to knock him down a peg so that the fight was level again_ he thought, and he knew just how to do that.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Inu Yasha was living high on life. He had already knocked the wind out of the wimpy wolf once, one more time and that wolf would never think about trying to take Kagome from him again. He was slightly shocked by Julia's suggestion at first, but after thinking on it he saw the benefits to taking her up on it. He would not only get to have some much needed stress release, but he would show the wolf who was better.

He noted that Kouga seemed more on guard and alert. Getting another win would not be as easy as last time. _Who am I kidding? _he thought to himself. _Getting the first one was not easy!_ If Kouga hadn't slipped up he might not have gotten that first punch.

Dodging an attack, he tried to concentrate on finding a weakness in Kouga's defense, but something else was edging in on his senses. Something that he had always kept an awareness for since he was a child. He knew he shouldn't have, but he turned his head to find that his senses were indeed correct. Sesshoumaru was standing just behind his friends. In that instant, Kouga saw Inu Yasha's distraction and took full advantage of it.

Inu Yasha found himself flat on his back, knocked down by a punch to his right shoulder. _Damn it!_ he cursed to himself, and glared at Sesshoumaru. _Why did he have to show up now?_

_-----------------------------------------------------_

The surprised gasp coming from all of Inu Yasha's friends echoed Julia's thoughts. Inu Yasha seemed to actually have things under control, what had happened? It was then she saw the half-demon glaring behind her and she turned to see the object of his gaze. Apparently the others had seen this as well for now they were all staring at Sesshoumaru. Bored expression in place, arms crossed over his chest, and standing there like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" the little girl squealed. Did Julia actually see him flinch slightly when she did that? "Did you come to watch them play too?" He merely nodded to the little girl, but said nothing.

_Is that the only reason he's here?_ Julia wondered while still staring at him. It was then that he looked over at her, causing her to turn quickly back towards the field where she found an excuse to look away. Running out to the field she stopped short of Inu Yasha and Kouga and turned towards the group.

"Round two goes to Kouga," she called. "Looks like we are going for the tie breaker in round three." She turned back to see Inu Yasha still staring at Sesshoumaru and Kouga standing nearby, actually looking like he might be out of breath. "Inu Yasha, do you want to finish this later?" she asked quietly, seeing that he might still be a little distracted.

"No," he said suddenly, voice steady and firm, "we will finish this now." His eyes held a determination that was almost frightening and if she had to guess she figured this last fight would be more of a show for his brother than to actually kick Kouga's butt. The object of Inu Yasha's frustration had changed and Julia felt slightly bad for Kouga, but only slightly.

"Alright, but ummm…just remember this is for _fun_, okay?" She tried to lighten the mood a bit, but Inu Yasha had already moved to his first fighting stance, and Kouga appeared to have realized the changed conditions as well. "Oh, well." she said with a shrug, and walked back to the others. "Reeeaady, BEGIN."

But neither combatant moved. They only stood staring at one another. Inu Yasha stood facing slightly to the side, arms at his sides. His eyes had not changed. They were still narrowed and focused on Kouga, who stood facing Inu Yasha head on, arms crossed over his chest, with eyes that mimicked Inu Yasha's.

_This might not end very pretty_ she thought to herself.

A breeze blew across the field, and Julia let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. It stirred up some of the lose grass and debris that had been created from the last two matches. It caught their hair and blew a few strands across Inu Yasha's face. The stand still was killing her, why didn't they move? Looking around she could see the others seemed to be just as anxious as she was, especially Kagome.

"So what brings you out here?" she asked Sesshoumaru as she dropped back to where he stood. He glanced at her momentarily and focused back on Inu Yasha and Kouga.

"I heard the fighting." he said, straight-forward and brief as always. "I wanted to make sure they weren't killing each other before Naraku got another shot at it." Did Sesshoumaru just make a joke? His tone was so serious that she could not tell, but there was a slight sparkle to his eyes that made her wonder.

"Well, I think they probably would not have killed each other before," she said off-handedly. "But, now that you're here I'm not sure." It seemed as though Sesshoumaru might have half-grinned momentarily, but she was sure she'd imagined it. However, any further discussion on the subject was halted when Kouga finally made the first move.

-----------------------------------------------

_He managed to wait out the staring match_ thought Sesshoumaru. _Good._ He'd been almost positive that Inu Yasha would make the first move, but he had not. He was also mildly amused that Julia had caught on to the reason Inu Yasha's fighting style had changed, but he should have expected that. She seemed to be smarter than the average human.

Pulling his thoughts away from her, he concentrated on the fight. Inu Yasha actually seemed to be on the defensive as opposed to launching a full-out attack without thinking. Sesshoumaru had fought him numerous times before and every time it was the same. He would attack head-on without a care in the world. _Could it be that Inu Yasha had actually learned a few things?_

"You guys want to go do something else?" he heard Rin ask. On the periphery of his vision he watched as the children all left to go find another means of entertainment, the fire cat in tow. She would make sure they were all safe. They did not understand the importance of this particular fight and, because of that, did not care about the outcome. However, he did see the small fox peering back as he left. Perhaps one that had traveled with his brother understood in his own small way.

"It would appear that neither is giving the other a chance in this match," the monk commented after the fight had continued for a while longer. Occasionally the two combatants would pause in their fight to apparently catch their breaths, but neither let their guard down.

"They could be at this the rest of the day," added the demon hunter. But Sesshoumaru knew better. They were both using all of their strength in their attacks and were obviously feeling the affects. Even the wolf, with the added strength from his jewel shards, was tiring.

A charge from both led to the exchange of a few blows and blocks from both. Afterwards they landed opposite each other in crouching positions, but neither moved.

"Had enough, Dog Breath?" Sesshoumaru heard the wolf taunt. It was evident that he was indeed out of breath.

"Hah! I'm just getting warmed up," retorted Inu Yasha, though he did not sound much better.

"Maybe we should stop them?" suggested Kagome a moment later.

"No." Sesshoumaru found himself replying before the others had a chance. "Neither wants to and to do so would only make tension worse between the two." _Besides,_ he added to himself, _I want to see how this plays out._

"But they could really hurt each other." Kagome added, worry evident in her voice.

"Sesshoumaru is right." Julia said gently. "They need to do this."

"I would agree," added Miroku as Sango nodded, "you have always stopped them from fighting in the past…and for good reason most of the time, but now…" he shook his head rather sagely if Sesshoumaru was any judge. The man might actually make a good monk someday.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you!" The call brought all their attention back to the field. Kouga was up and an instant later Inu Yasha joined him. It looked like the wolf was throwing it all into one last charge and Inu Yasha had the same idea. _This will end it_ thought Sesshoumaru, but what he didn't know was how.

Almost in slow-motion, Sesshoumaru watched as each pulled back for one final punch and both connected. Each hit the other squarely in the jaw resulting in both flying back a moment later, landing solidly on the ground. But, it was Inu Yasha who had made first contact. _Well, what do you knowhe_ said to himself, inwardly smiling. The next moment Kagome had taken off towards Inu Yasha with Julia close behind. He was going to leave at that point, but decided he would walk over with the demon hunter and the monk who seemed to be more calm about the whole thing.

Julia stood there looking at both and then seemed to make some kind of decision.

"I declare this match a draw." she said in a loud voice. "We have two winners today." _Or two losers_ Sesshoumaru mentally added. He saw no point in pointing out the split second win.

"Inu Yasha, are you okay?" asked Kagome as she knelt next him.

"What do you mean a draw? I connected _way_ before he did," spat out Inu Yasha as he tried to prop himself up on his elbows.

"Hah! If anyone connected first it was me!" shot back the wolf, attempting to get up as well. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed as he watched Julia kneel down next to the wolf and lay a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on you two, I'm the judge and I say it was a draw," she said in a final tone, and then added more gently, "Are you okay, Kouga? I'd hate to just get my sparring partner back only to have to lose him."

"Like anything Dog Breath did would keep me down," he retorted, but Sesshoumaru could hear a slight wince in his voice as she helped him up. He watched them, not out of any concern for the wolf or because he was not admitting the loss, but because he seemed to be clinging to Julia. It was the same feeling that had overtaken him days earlier – the same feeling that had caused him to step forward when they were too close.

Just then she looked at him, confusion on her features at first, more than likely due to his current facial expression, but then she smiled at him. However, it did nothing to stop the blood pounding in his head and, feeling overwhelmed, he turned and left without a word.

_Why should he feel like that? Why?_ It was like a feeling that something that belonged to him was being taken away, but that was ridiculous. She did not belong to him - he had laid no claim to her. _So…why?_

_---------------------------------------------------_

Julia continued to watch him go as she helped Kouga to his feet. _What was that all about? He looked angry for a moment there, why? He could not have actually _wanted_ Kouga to win…no it was something else, but what?_

"At least now you know I can take you down, wimpy wolf." The taunt brought her out of her thoughts and back to the current situation. Inu Yasha was leaning on Kagome much the same way Kouga was on her.

"You'd die trying." Kouga shot back, removing his arm from around her shoulders and stepping towards Inu Yasha.

"Yeah, but who landed the first hit?" mocked Inu Yasha, also removing his arm from Kagome and stepping towards Kouga.

"You got lucky, Dog Boy." Kouga spat out, taking another step.

"Oh you wanna go again, Wolfy? I'll show you just how much _skill_ it was." Inu Yasha retorted, also taking another step. They were almost nose to nose and neither looked like they were in any shape to fight again.

"I think that is enough for today, why don't we go get some food?" Julia suggested, popping up between them. They immediately turned their backs to each other. "Ah, come on guys, don't be such babies," she added, giving each a shove on the shoulder that resulted in them nearly falling over. Both turned and glared at her, but she merely smiled back. "See? No more fighting. Now let's go eat." She draped an arm over each and led them towards the manor. Their expressions had changed to confusion and then finally submission. _These guys are just like children sometimes _she thought to herself. "You guys coming?" she yelled back over her shoulder.

----------------------------------------------

"Yes," called Kagome, Julia's call having brought her out the daze she had been in. She turned to look at the other two finding that their expression mimicked her own.

"She certainly knows how to diffuse tense situations," Miroku commented with a small laugh as he started after the others towards the house.

"I never would have thought it would be that easy to calm those two down," remarked Sango, following close behind Miroku.

"I guess she knew what she was doing from the beginning," Miroku continued. "Kagome, don't worry about them, they are fine." He added as he turned back towards her clearly noticing that she had not followed them.

"Oh, I'm not," she said, catching up to them and continuing with them to the house.

She'd watched Kouga and Inu Yasha fight in utter amazement. As Miroku had said, she never had let them really go at it in the past. She just didn't want to see either of them get hurt. But, as she watched them she could see they were enjoying it. It was like it really was a game to them. She wondered if she should have let them try to kill each other sooner, but shook her head. _No,_ she said to herself, _the only reason it ended with out her having to tell Inu Yasha to sit was because Julia was there._

But now, how would they act together, could things have gotten worse? The answer to her question came when she walked into the dining room. Inu Yasha and Kouga sat there arguing about how the other fought, but there was no anger. Julia sat near them with a smile on her face, making comments in between the other two.

"He is right, Inu Yasha," Miroku said as he sat next to him, "you do drop your arm right before you attack."

"Well, at least I don't pull a punch short like this fool over here." Inu Yasha shot back, pointing to Kouga who looked put out but not upset.

"So who won?" asked Shippou as he ran in the door followed by the other kids.

"I did." Inu Yasha and Kouga shouted out in unison and promptly glared at each other. A smile finally found its way to Kagome's lips. Julia was right to let them fight. Not only did they appear to have, if anything, a mild respect for each other, but Inu Yasha seemed to be back to his old self after his little display in front of Sesshoumaru.

"Kagome, aren't you going to eat?" Shippou asked as he hopped on to her shoulder.

"Of course." she answered happily, and sat down next to Julia. Everything was going to work out just fine.

------------------------------------------------------

"So you two seemed to be getting along alright last night." Julia remarked as she stretched out for their morning workout. Kouga had insisted at breakfast that he was fine so she went along with it.

"Hmph," was all he said as he too stretched. They had made quite a night of it. It was around eleven when she had glanced at her watch as she put Rin to bed. The children did not make an appearance at breakfast as they were all probably still sleeping. They had all told stories and continued to critique the fight, repeating things that had already been said. But no one really seemed to care. The kids had gone on about their day and the adventures they were having to Julia while the others were discussing other things. She was glad to see that everyone was getting along.

"It's just that I'm surprised you guys weren't arm in arm by the end of the night." she added with a sarcastic smile. He eyed her but still said nothing, "Oh come on, you're not honestly sore about it being a tie are you?" she asked, slightly irritated with his current attitude and placed her hands on her hips.

"It wasn't a tie," he said quietly, turning his eyes to her. "He really did land the punch before I did." Julia's eyebrows shot up and her mouth hung open.

"What are you talking about? We all saw it. It happened at the same time," she replied, not really wanting to believe it.

"You weren't on the receiving end." he said with a small laugh and rubbed his jaw. "I'm pretty sure that if you asked Sesshoumaru he would tell you the same thing."

"Is that why he looked upset yesterday afternoon?" she asked, thinking she had finally figured that little mystery out.

"No, that was for another reason entirely," he replied as he eyed her.

"What?" she asked. _Why was he looking at her that way?_

"Never mind," he answered lamely. She shot him a look that said she was not happy about being in the dark, but he only grinned at her, "I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually."

"Fine," she conceded, "but seriously, are you guys okay now?" She knew he understood to what she was referring. They had spoken of it often enough.

"I will always envy Inu Yasha for being with her, but I no longer think he does not deserve her," he answered in a low voice. "However, that does not mean I won't continue to annoy him," he added in a lighter voice with a wink and smile. "Now, are we going to stand her chatting all day, or do you want to work out before those little monsters wake up?"

"Bring it on," she said with a smile, and took her preferred stance.

She'd figure out what Kouga had been talking about regarding Sesshoumaru later. He'd been absent the entire evening and to her surprise did not come upon her while she cooled off outside her room before she'd gone to sleep. It had seemed like it was becoming a habit to talk with him before she went to sleep, but last night he had been absent. She had entertained the idea of going to find him, but honestly she did not know what she would say when she did. He really did seem slightly upset when he left the other day and she just could not fathom why.

Julia and Kouga were able to spend a little time working out together, but it wasn't long before the air was filled with the shouts of the little 'monsters' as Kouga had so lovingly dubbed them. They wanted some company today and could not be persuaded to play on their own. Shippou had apparently dragged Kagome and Inu Yasha out with them, intent on getting the two to join in the fun.

It was sunset before Julia found time for herself again. The others had all gone off to eat dinner, but she wanted to stay behind for a moment. She walked a little ways into the stand of trees and found a nice spot, though she had to admit the whole place was nice. She took a stance and began to go through some forms that Kouga had shown her. Doing so seemed to quiet her mind and help her think.

Though, that may not have been the best idea as her thoughts always seemed to drift back to Sesshoumaru. She had hoped that he would show up at some point during the day, much like he had the previous day, but he had not. Granted, he had really only shown up to get under Inu Yasha's skin, but it also seemed like he was genuinely interested in their fight.

"I guess watching the kids play is not nearly as exciting," she said to herself as she punched air. Why had he left so abruptly though? According to Kouga it had nothing to do with the fight, but he had been glaring at him, hadn't he? Or…

"Was he glaring at me?" she asked herself as she performed a round house kick. The thought caused her to feel somewhat disturbed, much like before when she had thought for a moment he might be angry with her, but for some reason it was more pronounced this time. "Argh," she growled, "this is so annoying! Why am I doing this to myself?" she asked the air as she jabbed out with her right hand. Surprisingly it met with something solid. "Sesshoumaru!"

-----------------------------------------------------

He had only meant to observe her, but she had seemed upset about something. He told himself he should just leave her be, but seeing her distraught made his chest tighten. So, despite his better judgment, he went to find out why.

He released her fist and with a fleeting thought missed the contact with her. Perhaps he should have just spoken, but she'd seemed so engrossed in a conversation with herself in that strange language that he did not think she would even notice if he had. He knew better than to ask about the language, but that did not stop him from wondering.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, catching her breath and rubbing her hand. He briefly wondered if it had hurt when she'd connected with his hand, but he did not think she had used that much force.

"I do live here," he replied and quirked an eyebrow at her. She stared at him for a moment with an almost blank expression and then shook her head slightly.

"Okay, maybe that wasn't the best way to phrase that question," she said with her usual sarcasm. "I just wondered what brought you out here," she pointed to the spot where she stood, "now." she added while pointing to her wrist, though he still did not understand the importance of the bracelet she wore.

"Is my being here odd?" he asked, though more to stall since he really did not want to admit the real reason that brought him to her.

"Well," she paused, cocked her head to one side in a gesture that gave her a very childlike appearance, "it is just that you seemed kind of upset yesterday," she finished with a shrug. _Gods, have I really become that transparent in her eyes?_

"You must have been mistaken," he replied in his usual tone. "I simply have other matters that require my attention. I do not have to explain my comings and goings." She gave him the look she normally wore when she was about to give him a good tongue lashing, but then it suddenly changed into an amused smile.

"You're right," she agreed, and nodded her head slightly. Sesshoumaru almost choked in surprise. "I was probably just reading too much into something." He kept his mask intact, but he could not help but wonder what it was that she was thinking about. She had given up on that way too easily. "So, has there been any news about Naraku?" She crossed her arms over her chest and began to walk back towards the castle.

"No," he answered as he fell into step beside her. Odd, how it felt almost natural to do so. "I have my sources looking, but there is still nothing. It looks like he is being more careful than the last time." He smiled inwardly at his quick discovery of Naraku's previous hideout. But, it had been the carelessness of Naraku's lackey that had led him there. This time would not be as easy.

They walked in an easy silence a little ways and Sesshoumaru would have continued with Julia to the castle, but he suddenly became aware of someone watching them. He could have ignored it and just continued on, however he knew that this had to be taken care of at some point. There was no reason to delay it. He slowly came to a stop which caused Julia to pause and turn back to him.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing, I'm just not going in yet. Enjoy your meal," he said, and then turned back towards the trees before she could ask anything more. Without turning his head, he could tell that she had continued on inside. He momentarily worried that she might think him rude, but then realized that he shouldn't care.

"Gotta tell ya, _big brother_," the voice began as he approached the trees, "I never thought I'd see that." Inu Yasha stepped around a tree, into view, and then leaned against it, crossing his arms over his chest.

"And what would that be, _little brother_?" Sesshoumaru asked, emphasizing the 'little brother' as acidly as Inu Yasha had his endearment. Inu Yasha did not voice his answer - he only nodded his head towards the house. Sesshoumaru turned his head in time to see Julia disappear down the hallway towards the dinning room. He had assumed that was what Inu Yasha was referring to.

"When did it change?" asked Inu Yasha. Sesshoumaru slowly turned back to his brother. He could see a deep hurt in his eyes. Inu Yasha never had been good at masking his emotions. "When did it become okay to like humans?"

"What makes you think I _like_ them?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. He then tried to deny to himself that he did not like them, but images of Rin and Julia smiling at him flashed into his head. Inu Yasha only stared at him with those same eyes, those damn searching eyes.

"This from the demon who would kill a human without the slightest hesitation for just looking at him the wrong way," the half-demon smirked. "I've seen the way Julia treats you and yet, she still lives." Sesshoumaru glared at him, but he could not respond. He himself had questioned this change on almost a daily basis, but what really had caused the change? Was it Rin with her gap-tooth smile all those months ago, or was it something else? He turned his gaze away from Inu Yasha and walked a little ways past him.

"I do not have to explain my actions to you," he replied finally, without turning back to look at Inu Yasha.

"Keh, you'll never change." Inu Yasha responded as he began to walk away. "We'll do this, Sesshoumaru, but make no mistake - when it's all said and done, we'll ALL be out of your life and I expect you to stay out of mine." Sesshoumaru stood where he was, staring blankly out at the horizon.

There was no mistake. Inu Yasha was implying that not only would he and his friends leave, but that Julia would be leaving with them. He had not come right out and said it, but Sesshoumaru understood what was left unspoken. Inu Yasha had obviously expected that fact to get to him, but what did it matter to Sesshoumaru? They were only humans, after all, and he had thought about them leaving often enough, but then why did 'We'll ALL be out of your life' continued to echo in his head?

----------------------------------------------------

Julia sat comfortably in the hot water, eyes shut and enjoying the relief the heat was giving to her much abused muscles. Sure she had worked out before, but not everyday from sunup to sundown. _Hey, at least I'm having fun_ she thought as she smiled to herself.

"What are you grinning at?" asked one of her companions. Sango and Kagome had followed her to the bath after dinner.

"What?" she asked and cracked one eye open to look at Kagome.

"You're over there grinning away, you must be thinking about something good," explained Kagome.

"Probably about a certain demon lord," Sango piped in, causing Julia's eyes to shoot open.

"Excuse me?" she asked back, trying to play it cool, but she was sure her surprised expression was not helping matters.

"You always seem to be smiling when you're around him," Kagome added, clearly interested in the topic.

"A smile does not imply anything more than friendship," Julia responded, taking on an 'older sister' type of tone. "Besides, I always smile when I'm around _all_ of you guys," she continued, eyeing them both. Though their faces looked the picture of innocence she could see their devious little minds at work. It was table-turning time. "But shouldn't you girls be worrying about your own relationships before making one up for me?" Both girls turned shocked faces at her a blush creeping through their already red faces. "However, if you must know, I was only thinking about how much fun I have been having with you guys."

"Even with the demon attacks?" asked Kagome clearly glad for a topic change.

"Uh huh," she said nodding her head, "even with the demon attacks."

"I have to say that I am glad you came to us, Julia." Sango added a moment later, "If you had not I might not have my brother back with me now." Julia only bowed her head slightly. She never really had been good with compliments.

"He seems to be having fun playing with the others, too," commented Kagome.

"I've noticed that he sort of acts like a guard for the younger two kids." Julia remarked. "He seems to be really intent on being a protector for Rin and Shippou." Sango nodded.

"I think having those two around for him has been a great help in letting him work through what Naraku made him do. I know he still dwells on it, but I hope everyday that he will somehow come to terms with it and move on." Sango spoke in a slightly hushed voice.

"Yes, I think taking on a responsible role like that will definitely help." Julia added. "I just wish we had a better way of keeping Inu Yasha and Kouga distracted than letting them go at it every other day. Did you see them almost get in it today during tag?" Kagome and Sango both nodded and laughed a little.

"I think we all could use a little distraction." Sango said. "Even Miroku is starting to get a little apprehensive about the upcoming battle with Naraku."

"Me, too," Kagome admitted, "but not so much for the actual fight, but what happens afterwards."

"Why is that?" asked Julia.

"Well if we…when we win, the jewel will be complete and that means…" Kagome's voice went so low Julia could not pick up that last bit, but she had some idea what she was getting at. A completed jewel would mean her reason for being in the past would be over. And, if Julia remembered correctly, Inu Yasha had claims on the wish that the jewel would supposedly grant. A wish that Kagome had told Julia she hoped he'd never make. _This whole place is going to start getting very depressing in the next couple of days._

"I have an idea," Julia suddenly said as a plan formed in her head, "but I have to make sure it's possible." She quickly got out of the springs and walked towards the little washroom.

"What idea?" she heard Kagome call from behind the opaque screen that separated the room from the springs.

"I'll tell you later if it _is_ possible." Julia called as she threw on a robe and went off to find the one person she knew would be able to help her.

-------------------------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru walked down the hall. Inu Yasha, Kouga and the monk were still in the dining room playing some sort of game with their hands. But he was not in the area long enough to figure out what it was. He was not sure where the girls were, and he assumed the children were all in bed. Not because it was late, but merely because it was quiet.

He had planned to go straight to his room, but his feet seemed to walk by his door almost of their own accord. He found himself standing in front of the door to his father's shrine room. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually been in there, but it was not because he had been avoiding it…not really.

He slid the door open and slowly stepped in, sliding the door closed behind him. He stared at the mural of his father on the back wall. He remembered thinking when he was younger that his father was the one leading the demon attack on the human village, but in reality he knew that was not the case. His father had harbored no ill will towards the humans. He was, in fact, their protector.

Sesshoumaru looked down at his restored arm. Compassion for others had been the key to its restoration. But, why should he care about those weaker than himself? They could do nothing for him, so what was the point?

"I don't understand," he whispered to himself. But any further thought was cut off by a very familiar voice coming from down the hall.

"Do you think we can do it?" Julia asked.

"I think it can be arranged." Sesshoumaru recognized the replying voice as Wakana's. "We have not had such an event in a very long time." He could hear a smile in her voice. What was Julia planning?

"I just think that everyone needs something to take their minds off of their current dilemmas. They all try to put on a good face for everyone else, but they are all hurting in some way or another." Julia's voice sounded almost…sad.

"I see that, too," responded the old demoness.

"Are sure you don't mind? I know this is really short notice and all." Sesshoumaru could hear the sincerity in Julia's voice. "I could help if you want me to."

"Nonsense," Wakana chided, "you just leave everything to me."

What were they planning and why had he not been consulted first? He should be able to make the decisions in his castle, after all, though if Julia was going to find anyone to help her in her plans, Wakana was definitely the right person to go to. Wakana had probably been around the longest of any of his servants and the others would all listen to her without question.

"Thank you, Wakana. I know this is going to be great." The joy in Julia's voice was evident, a feeling that for some reason caused him to smile inwardly. The pair said good night at her room and he heard Wakana hurry off to accomplish whatever it was that they were concocting.

He thought back to the unanswered question he had been thinking about before they had walked by. Though somehow he thought that maybe it had just been answered. Julia spoke as though she did not have any problems of her own, but he knew that was not the truth. She was far from her home, in an unknown place, with an unknown amount of danger ahead of her, and yet she was worrying about everyone else. _Perhaps there is something in humanity worth protecting _he thought as he eyed his father's portrait again.

"But, I am not you," he said, once more in hushed tones. Protection was one thing, but there could be nothing more. He turned and quietly left the room. He would not succumb to the same weakness his father had.

---------------------------------------

A/N: So this was a little longer than some of the other chapters…hope you don't mind ;p

You know Kouga and Inu Yasha had to go at it at some point. Hope the actions scenes weren't too much. Also, I wouldn't really say Sesshoumaru is in denial at this point he just thinks he knows what is best…but that will change…oh yes, that will change. :D

Oh, and Nightfox, regarding Kouga…maaaaybeeee, we'll just have to see now won't we ;D

Updates will be soon, I promise. Okay, now I'll ask for reviews, let me know what you think.


	12. Party Time!

Update: Chapter edited.

Disclaimer: Inu and Co are not mine…Julia is ;D

A/N: Yay, I'm glad you are all still liking it. As promised here is the update.

---------------------------------------

Chapter Twelve: Party Time!

Julia could not believe how much time had past since she had come to this time. A full two weeks, it was incredible. It seemed like such a short time. She continued to glance down at the date on her watch as she waited for Wakana to finish tying her obi. She could imagine the number of messages that must be on her machine at home especially since she hadn't left any indication that she would be gone for any length of time. Granted they were not expecting her for another week and a half or so, but that did not mean her office would not be calling her. But all that did not matter right now. Today they were going to forget everything and have a great time.

She glanced at the other two girls in the room. Both Kagome and Sango looked beautiful in their kimonos. Wakana had finished with their knots and they were now having their hair done. Kagome could not stop giggling about the fact that she had only ever dressed up in traditional clothes for festivals and super special occasions. A comment that had caused a curious look to cross Wakana's features, but Julia figured she took it for a human oddity. Sango on the other hand was blushing the entire time. She apparently had never worn anything as fancy as the kimono she currently sported.

Kagome was wearing a light pink one with an intricate flower pattern designing the long sleeves done with an almost shimmering white thread. Around her waist was a darker blue obi with the same shimmering thread worked through it. Sango's was a deep maroon color with similar needle work forming shapes of what looked like birds. The obi around her waist was a mixture of deep green and gold. Even Rin had gotten to dress up, though her little kimono was not as elaborate as the older girls. Julia had decided to stick with the deep blue one that Wakana had first dressed her in, though Wakana insisted that she had others.

The boys were also supposed to be dressing up, but she had her doubts that they would. Wakana had told her that she had sent someone to each of them with a change of clothes, but had not heard the results yet.

When she had told Sango and Kagome of the plan this morning they both seemed a little apprehensive at first, but quickly embraced the idea of a little party. She hoped the boys would be as happy. Wakana would not tell her what she had planned for the day, but the tone of her voice told Julia that she was evidently proud of herself.

Wakana finally proclaimed them all ready to go. She winked at Julia and announced that they should all go to the main hall as she ushered the other servants out of the room. Julia smiled at Kagome and Sango then took Rin's hand. The little girl had been surprisingly patient with the whole process. Julia told her she could go play, but she had insisted on staying.

They walked into the main hall and Julia's breath caught in her throat. It had been transformed. Normally it was very ordinary. The only piece of any kind of decoration that adorned the room in the past was the dais that sat at the head of the room. Now there were banners hanging down from the ceiling depicting, what she assumed was, the Inu Crest and tapestries covered the walls displaying epic battles between the previous lords and various enemies. The dais area had been turned into what looked like a stage surrounded with various props and further out various cushions had been arranged for the audience to sit in. In the corner stood a group of musicians playing, to Julia's ears, very traditional Japanese music. It looked like a curtain had been put up between the dinning room and the main hall and along the wall that separated the two rooms was a veritable spread of more food than Julia could imagine being eaten in a life time.

It was in that area that Julia spotted the boys. Inu Yasha, true to form, had not changed clothes and was happily stuffing his face along side Shippou, who was wearing a very cute outfit. He still wore his little blue pants, but his top had been changed to a green one with a matching sash to tie it off. Kohaku had also apparently put on his new clothes, a light blue kimono with a deep green sash to tie it, though Julia had to admit he looked as uncomfortable as Sango had at first. To her great dismay neither Miroku or Kouga had changed either. She had wanted to see them in something other than their usual attire. _But, I guess Miroku being a monk would insist that those clothes were the only ones he needed and Kouga was just, well … Kouga_ she thought to herself.

"Kagome," called Shippou as he turned from stuffing his face to see that the girls had entered. The call brought the others eyes to them as well. Julia smiled inwardly at the dropped jaws as they walked over to join the guys. Miroku was the first to recover, but still eyed them, especially Sango, appreciatively. Inu Yasha and Kouga almost ran over each other to get to Kagome before the other could.

"Geeze, what am I chopped liver?" she asked with a laugh as the boys continued to fawn over the other two girls.

-------------------------------------------

_Hardly_, thought Sesshoumaru upon hearing her question. He stood in the doorway watching them. She was wearing the same blue kimono she had worn when he'd first brought her to his home. But Wakana had not done her hair as before. Instead it was mostly down with some pulled up into a small bun crowning her head. It was definitely more fitting for her. She looked quite beautiful…_for a human_ he added to remind himself who he was staring at.

He pulled his attention away from her in order to survey the main hall. Wakana really had worked a miracle to get this all done before midday. She had finally come to him that morning with the plans for the event, though he knew she must have already started most of the preparations before even asking for permission. It surprised him that she did not mention in was Julia's idea. But then the thought hit him that she may have been afraid to mention that it had been a human's idea, he probably would have denied it in the past.

He shook his head slightly to clear it and turned his attention back to the little group against the far wall. The females were turning and showing off their garments. Even Rin was there, one of her giant smiles in place, twirling incessantly. Before long Julia laughed and reached out to catch her before she fell over from dizziness.

Wakana walked out from behind the curtain now separating the dinning room from the hall and got the attention of the others. She welcomed them all and asked them to please have a seat. Her eyes met Sesshoumaru's for a moment, happiness reflecting in them. She had always loved planning events like this and he was sure it was something that she missed. But he had never had any reason to hold one and he was not the type to put them on just to impress the other lords.

Let them have their fun he thought as he turned and headed back to his study. He heard Wakana telling them about the shows that she had planned for them as he slid the door shut.

------------------------------------------

Julia took a deep breath as she stepped outside. The hall had become quite warm and the cool evening air felt wonderful. The others were still eating and talking about the performances they had already seen. Wakana had announced a short intermission and then they would continue. The old demoness really had out done herself. It was all far more than Julia had ever imagined or believed could be put together with the short notice she had given Wakana. She would have to give her high praised when she saw her next.

Julia wandered down the steps of the front of the manner towards the sandals that were kept there. She decided that she would take a little walk before she went back inside. She always needed a little quiet time during the day and today that had yet to happen.

As she meandered down the path towards the little bridge her thoughts turned to their missing host. Wakana had assured her that Sesshoumaru had approved the idea, but she had not seen him all day. _Could it be he doesn't like parties_ she thought to herself as she rolled her eyes.

She decided it did not matter what he liked. The idea seemed to have worked great. There were honest smiles tonight that she had not seen them used in quite a while. Though she knew that none of them could completely forget about their up coming battle, at least for a little bit they could enjoy life.

She hugged herself and standing in the center of the bridge she let her eyes follow the little stream that fed into the pond at the front of the house via a small waterfall. Now that the sun had set the fireflies were starting to light up and she watched their reflection follow them as they bobbed over the water beneath her.

She told herself that she was not going to think about the present, but the constant presence of her watch continued to remind her that her stay in this time was coming to an end. She had considered taking it off, but somehow she could not bring herself to break that link to reality. She was not a time traveling super hero. Far from it in fact, she was an ordinary twentieth century working woman. She knew she had to go back and a few days ago that seemed an easy choice, but now … now things were changing.

------------------------------

Sesshoumaru watched her slip out of the main hall and followed her with out thinking. It was the first time he had looked in on the festivities since early that day. He had kept himself cloistered in his study attempting to read through the missives that Jaken continued to bring to his attention. He'd had to send Jaken away much to the little toad's displeasure, due to his constant ranting about the silly humans and their party. Didn't he realize that the demons who were performing were enjoying it just as much as the humans. Wakana had organized the whole thing with great happiness and unless his ears were failing him the whispers he caught from the other servants were also very happy at the change of pace.

Sesshoumaru knew that Jaken was just reacting to the incursion as he thought his master would have, but he was merely reminding him how much he seemed to have changed in the last few months. He continued to work through the letters and requests that littered his desk for some time after he had dismissed Jaken, but his curiosity had finally gotten the better of him. However, when the main object of his curiosity left he found that he lost interest in what ever else had been going on in the room.

He had shadowed her through the garden as she slowly walked around the path that hugged the pond and the stream connecting to it. When she finally stopped on the bridge he had kept in the shadows watching her silent contemplation. Though, as he began to feel no more than a lowly peeping Tom, he decided it was either time to leave or approach, and he did not feel like leaving.

"Did the evening become to much for you?" he asked quietly walking towards the bridge, but stopped just short of it. She turned her head at first and then her body followed suit.

"Not at all," she replied with a smile as she sat on the railing on the bridge and folded her hands in her lap, "I just needed a little air. It's gotten quite warm in there." He nodded his head at her explanation. "You should have come. Wakana really did a great job." He had expected that comment, but he still did not have a good reply.

"I was busy," he replied though he could tell that it was not the kind of explanation that would allow for missing a party in her eyes, "Besides I've been to them before."

"But not this one," she replied with a wry grin, "I mean how often do you get to party with a group of humans?"

"Too often these days," the words were out before he had really thought them through, but what was said was said. He could not undo that. He waited for her to defend her kind with her typical hot tempered attitude, but instead her smile faded and she merely nodded like she knew something he didn't. Suddenly he would have preferred that she was yelling at him.

"Are we really that bad?" she asked in a low voice. He opened his mouth to list the faults of human kind, but the way she had included herself in that statement made him pause. _She was human, and so was Rin, and yet they were…no he was losing his focus._ Just because he found no reason to end their lives did not mean that humans were worth his time. And yet, he still could not open his mouth to tell her this.

"It does not matter," he finally said and turned to leave. It didn't matter. As Inu Yasha had said, they would all leave after Naraku had been defeated so why did he have to answer her.

"Hey wait a sec-WHOA," he turned back just in time to see her take too big a step and start to fall forward. He moved quickly to catch her without giving it a second thought. As she was still on the incline of the little bridge she landed with her hands resting on his shoulders and her face buried in his chest his hands supporting her at the sides of her rib cage.

"So I don't think I am ever going to wear one of these things again," she finally said with a laugh after, what he could only assume, was a string of colorful expletives in her language.

"Perhaps for your own safety that might be best," he added his previous mood evaporating. She used his shoulders to push herself up right bringing more of her body in contact with his own causing him to momentarily stop breathing.

Because of the added height of the bridge when she looked at him her eyes were just about level with his. Eyes that sparkled with her amusement and at the same time seemed to be searching his very soul. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, simply standing there holding her was the only thing he could concentrate on. Her eyes seemed to be drawing him in and it wasn't until he realized that his head was dangerously close to her's that he fully regained his senses. He stepped back slightly and finally relinquished his hold on her.

His breathing gradually returned to normal and he finally looked at her once more. She stood with one hand resting against her stomach and the other on the rail of the bridge. She looked as confused as he was feeling and the same nervous smell from the previous night surrounded her. What was going on? Why was his heart still racing at the very thought of her being near to him?

Then his heart steeled and he regained his well trained composure. He would not become a weakling like his father. He could not allow this to happen. He turned and left with out a word, and this time she did not call after him.

------------------------------------------

Julia watched him leave and could think of nothing to say to stop him. _Did she want to stop him?_ Her heart was still beating wildly, but she had finally gotten her breathing under control. She had never felt anything like that before. It had all started as him rescuing her from a face full of gravel, but as he held her….

_No_, she told her self as she crossed her arms and leaned against the railing on the bridge, _this can't happen._ It couldn't happen. But, it hadn't been just her standing there. She had seen something in his eyes that said he too was lost in the same moment she was. _Perhaps that was all it was_, she thought, _a moment_.

Laughter from the manner brought her out of her stupor and back to reality. She glanced down at her watch and realized that she had been gone from the party for quite a while. The others probably hadn't noticed, but she should still go back. Before lowering her hand she glanced back at her watch once more, but this time focused on the date.

_Not a time traveling super hero_ she reminded herself. This is not some cheesy romance novel or fairytale where the heroin finds love on some crazy adventure. She wrapped her other hand around her wrist and squeezed slightly. _This is not my reality. In the end it doesn't matter if things change or not, I still do not belong here._

She pushed up off the railing and headed back towards the manner. She had a party to get back to. A party that would hopefully do its job and help her forget for a little while.

------------------------------------------

Inu Yasha had been awe struck when he saw Kagome enter the main hall earlier that day, she was stunning. He'd always hated it when she wore the clothes of a priestess, it reminded him too much of Kikiyou, but the elegant kimono suited her.

He'd spent most of the evening fending off the attentions that damn wolf continued to lavish on her in between the performances. He was sure Wakana had a hand in producing those plays. Even though he was little he had memories of the plays she would put on to make him laugh. Julia had definitely made the old demoness happy when she'd suggested this plan. He had not been to keen on the idea, but the moment Kagome walked in all thoughts he had against it vanished.

Julia had helped to draw Kouga's attentions away from Kagome at one point but she seemed to have vanished. He hadn't really thought to hard on it as another play was beginning but as the play ended and they all laughed at the performers parting antics he noticed she was still missing. He began to wonder if he would have to continue to fend off Kouga alone for the rest of the night when she finally walked in the door.

She smiled as she walked in, but to him it looked somewhat forced. He wondered what had happened when she had left and as she drew nearer he got his answer. She smelled very strongly of Sesshoumaru. The whole place smelled like him so it was hard to tell where he was at times, but his scent clung to her. He glanced over at the wolf and noticed that he too was staring at her. He must have smelled the same thing and to his surprise did not look very happy about it.

"So what did I miss?" she asked in a cheerful voice as she reclaimed her previous seat next to the other girls. Rin and Shippou both immediately jump to sit next to her and began telling her about the show they had just watch. They seemed to be taking turns telling it, when one stopped the other jumped right in. But, Inu Yasha was more concerned with their newest friend. She was clearly trying to be happy, but something had happen, something that concerned his brother.

He had seen the two of them together often enough to know that both seemed to get along, a fact that still made him grit his teeth. Regardless of what kind of person Sesshoumaru may appear to be now he would never change. 'You did,' echoed in his head and he once again reflected on Kagome's words. They were completely different, he and his brother, just because he had changed did not mean that…. He looked once again at Julia's smiling face and for the first, or perhaps maybe the second, time in his life hoped that his brother could change.

"You okay," he heard a soft voice in his ear and felt a hand connect with his shoulder. Kagome had come to sit next to him. He then wondered at the change in his own attitude towards life. She had helped him to see the bigger picture and helped him to work through his past. He no longer wanted to be anything other than what he already was. Looking at her just then he knew that he could never be separated from her.

"Yeah," he answered, "You wanna get some air?"

----------------------------------------

"Sure," she replied with a nod. Inu Yasha stood and then offered her a hand. She was mildly surprised by the gesture, but the evening had already been full of surprises. She looked back at the others who all seemed to be content with filling Julia in on what she had missed. She then followed Inu Yasha out the door Julia had just entered through still holding his hand. She'd thought for sure he would remove it as soon as she was standing, but instead he seemed quite content to hold on.

They walked around the porch until they found the side entrance to the garden at which point Kagome took a moment to slip on a pair of sandals that waited there. They walked downs the little steps from the porch that led to the bridge. Kagome had fallen in love with this garden. It was beautiful, and at night it was exquisite. She had wondered what it might be like to walk its paths with Inu Yasha, and her she was.

She glanced up at him as they walked. He had not spoken since they'd left and appeared to be lost in his thoughts. The only reason she knew he had not for gotten her was the presence of his hand covering hers. She was just happy to be able to spend time with him like this, so she let him think.

They came upon the little bridge and started the climb over it. Kagome looked out over the little stream and paused.

"Inu Yasha look," she said softly as she gave his hand a little squeeze. He turned to see where she was pointing and she turned to look once again. The fireflies were out. They only dotted the small stream below them, but hundreds of them appeared to be covering the water in the small pond the stream flowed into. They made the whole area glow with a soft light. She smiled and turned back to look at Inu Yasha, but he was not looking out at the water he was looking at her.

"Tell me you'll stay out of the fight with Naraku," he said softly. His eyes were just like they were when he had first told her to stay out of the battle after their last fight with Naraku. They were his and yet they weren't. She looked away from him for a moment, unable to respond.

"I can't," she finally said, "I can't tell you that." She looked back up at him then and could see that he was not happy with her response. "I have to be there to help you," she added before he could speak.

"You would help me by being out of the way," he said sharply.

"You know I can help," she shot back as she removed her hand from his and poked him in the chest.

"But you could be hurt," he said in a gruff voice as he once again took her hand, but this time pressed it against his heart, "or worse."

"Inu Yasha, I can't just sit back and watch you risk your life for something I caused," she said softly as she placed her other hand over his.

"Kagome this isn't your fault. It all began fifty years ago with Naraku's treachery," he said in a low voice.

"But, if I hadn't shattered the -,"

"If you hadn't shattered the jewel I never would have known you," he interrupted, "I never would have…I…," his voice trailed off, but he never took his eyes away from her own. His eyes seemed to burn with an inner light that held her spell bound. "There are too many things that have happened because I met you and I am grateful for all of them," he said slowly as he cupped her face with his other hand. "I can't lose you Kagome."

"Inu -," she was about to consol him when he abruptly cut off all forms of vocal communications by placing a soft kiss upon her lips. So instead of telling him she felt the same she showed him by kissing him back. They parted and he immediately enveloped her in his arms. "We'll get through this Inu Yasha, but we'll do it together," she whispered softly. His only response was to tighten his embrace.

-------------------------------------------

A/N: That darn Sesshoumaru, ruining a perfectly good moment…hee hee hee. Oh well at least Inu Yasha finally stepped up to the plate.

Also, I am honestly not really sure what would go on at a traditional Japanese party, but from the little research I was able to spend time doing, I got the feeling that there would be performances and the like…so ummm…yeah…that is what I went with.

Review ;D


	13. Darkness

Update: Chapter edited.

Disclaimer: ditto ditto

A/N: The last chapter was so short that I figured posting another one was the right thing to do…I'm so nice.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Thirteen: Darkness

Julia walked briskly towards the farthest corners of manor's fields in the early morning light. She wore her traditional workout clothes accented with her usual tennis shoes. The hour-hand on her watch read just about seven in the morning, but she had been up for far longer. The party had run clear to midnight, even though the performances had ended much earlier. The kids had been shooed off to bed about that time with great protest, but Wakana had insisted they get their sleep. It was then, as she walked Rin to her room, that Julia had heaped her praise upon the old demoness. Wakana glowed with pride at the compliments, but insisted it was nothing. Julia said her good nights then and went back to her friends. They were all high off of life at that point. Miroku had a touch, or so he said, of sake and was making more overt advances at Sango than usual, which she continued to repel, but apparently with great fun. Inu Yasha and Kagome had reappeared some time before, but Julia did not miss the blush on Kagome's face as she entered. She hoped things would continue to work out for those two. Kouga had immediately tried to cut in, having had a little sake himself, but Julia decided not to let him do anything stupid and distracted him.

Once she left the room, she thought only to find blissful sleep, but the moment she was alone all the awkward thoughts from earlier in the evening came crashing back into her brain. She'd tossed and turned for a few hours, finding sleep in small intervals only to wake a moment later. She knew that she should not be letting Sesshoumaru get to her like this, but she just couldn't stop wondering. Despite her resolve, she'd seen the way he had looked into her eyes and the thought that he might be feeling something for her, too, made making her decisive decisions stick very difficult.

She finally stopped walking and decided that some invisible bad guys needed their butts kicked. She wished she had a punching bag to at least help her vent. She could wait for Kouga to wake up, but unless demons had some major alcohol tolerance she did not think he would be up for quite a while yet.

-----------------------------------------------

"Enter." Sesshoumaru called to a small knock on his study door.

"Ah, you are awake my Lord." Wakana remarked as she entered. _I haven't slept_ he thought bitterly. He'd tried to bury his thoughts in his work in the hopes that sleep would come swiftly, but it hadn't worked. So there he sat, just where he had sat for the last few hours trying to convince himself that he was right.

"What do you need?" he asked and while he attempted to make it not sound sharp it did not work. However, his sharp tone didn't seem to dampen Wakana's spirits one bit. She pressed on into the room as if he had sad nothing.

"I wanted to let you know that the party was very successful," she said in a bright voice that matched her cheery expression. "I only hope it was not too bothersome for you, my Lord," she added in a slightly subdued manner, but he knew it was all for show. She had enjoyed every moment of it whether it had bothered him or not.

"No," he replied shortly and leaned back against the cushions that surrounded his writing desk. "If that is all, Wakana?" he said tiredly and gestured to the door. He was being rude, but he didn't care. He was tired and he was showing it. Those were two things that should never happen.

"Just one more thing," she said as though he was not trying to get rid of her. He could tell her to leave and she would, he knew that. She would never disobey a direct order, but sleep-deprived or no, the way she had said that piqued his curiosity so he gestured for her to proceed. "The ladies Julia and Kagome, my Lord, where are they from?"

"Why do you ask?" His eyed narrowed slightly when she had said Julia's name, but upon hearing the rest of her question he opened them slightly in surprise.

"Well, it's just that neither seemed familiar with what I would consider a normal style of dress." He smirked inwardly - _that_ was nothing new. He'd thought that their 'normal' style of dress was a dead giveaway that they were foreigners. He was about to give Wakana the answer that Julia had given him when she continued. "And the other day, when we were dressing them for the party, Lady Kagome referred to the clothes we were dressing them in as 'traditional.' I just don't see how that is possible, my Lord. My ladies tend to keep up with the latest fashions." Sesshoumaru's eyes opened even wider.

"I do not know where they are from," he replied slowly.

"What a mystery then," she replied, more to herself than to him. "Well, I suppose that doesn't really matter. They are both fine ladies, if…a little out of the ordinary," she added with a smile. Sesshoumaru only stared, but he was no longer seeing Wakana - his thoughts had turned once again to Julia. "Well, I will let you get back to your work, my Lord." Wakana sounded like she was a million miles away.

What could this mean? Julia and Inu Yasha's woman were connected in some way, which would mean that Julia must have thought the same thing about her clothes, but why? He stood and went to the door that would lead him to the outside porch. _Is Julia somehow_ not _really a human?_ She looked different, she spoke different, she acted different, and now she was from some place where what was modern was considered ancient.

Almost without thinking, Sesshoumaru walked to Julia's door. It was early, but he didn't care. He needed answers. He needed to know if there was some logical explanation for what he was feeling.

He opened the door, fully expecting an earful for not giving any notice, only to discover that her room was empty. Her futon had already been rolled up and her sleeping robe was folded neatly on top of it. He glanced at her bureau and laid eyes upon her strange bag. No human had ever had such a thing to his knowledge, nor any of the objects inside. A quick intake of breath told him where she had headed, so he followed. He _would_ discover the truth in this matter.

He walked along the tree line, intent on his prey, only to be stopped a moment later.

"My Lord," a voice hissed from the shadows. It was one of his informants.

"Yes?" he replied calmly as he paused to hear the spy's report.

"We have located him, my Lord." There was no need to ask who was meant by the 'him,' as all of his informants were working on locating Naraku.

"You are sure?" he asked, ice coating his words. There could be no mistakes.

"Yes, my lord," was the answering hiss.

"Leave the report on my desk." Sesshoumaru commanded and in the next instant the informant disappeared back into the darker shadows. Sesshoumaru grinned wickedly. Naraku was going to pay for all of his impertinence, but he could wait just a little while longer. Sesshoumaru had other matters to take care of first.

He approached quietly through the trees. He could hear her breathing heavily. He paused when he finally caught sight of her. She was working through some fighting forms, a look of utter concentration on her face. _Can she be more than merely human?_ He needed to understand what was making her so special in his eyes. Why it was that his heartbeat quickened whenever he thought of her. He continued to walk forward slowly. She finally spotted him and paused in her workout, taking a few deep breaths.

"Care to practice with a real expert?" he asked nonchalantly, but she seemed mildly disturbed by his presence. In fact, she looked completely worn out. _Perhaps I am not the only one who could not sleep?_ Sesshoumaru thought.

"I don't think that would such a great idea right now," she replied with slightly labored breaths.

"You are scared of me?" he asked with a wry grin. She narrowed her eyes at him and placed her hands on her hips. It was an action that caused the top of her shirt to slightly part and show a portion of her heaving chest. He told himself to stop staring.

"You know I'm not," she finally replied once she had fully caught her breath. "I'm just not in that great of a mood right now," she explained, fire returning to her eyes. "I might hurt you."

"You could try," he said slowly as he moved to take a position opposite her. He would either discover that she was more than she claimed to be or this little fight would serve as a reminder that she was only human - in which case he should be feeling nothing for her. Caring deeply for a human was what brought about his father's downfall, and Sesshoumaru could not allow himself to follow that same road.

----------------------------------

He was not the person Julia had wanted to see first thing in the morning. She was working up quite a sweat on her own and having a jolly good time of it, too. An overactive imagination could be both a curse and a blessing when you were trying to ignore reality, and she had been doing a damn good job of ignoring it. Seeing him just brought all the feelings from last night back to the surface. To top it off, he was acting like nothing had happened. _What the hell?_ Well, two could play like that.

She took her usual stance. She had no idea what to expect from Sesshoumaru. She and Kouga had sparred so much that they almost had it down to a dance even when the wolf insisted that his attacks were entirely random. Now, with Sesshoumaru standing opposite her, she really would be dealing with something different. She decided that she would not be the one to make the first move, not until she knew what she was up against. Okay, she knew what she was up against, but not really.

"Waiting for me to make the first move, I see," he said, suddenly breaking into her thoughts. "I guess the wolf may have been a good instructor after all." If she didn't know better she would have thought he grinned momentarily, but then he was gone. He had made his move. She ducked as his hand came flying over her head and swept her leg out. She met with air and rolled away just in time to dodge him landing on her with his knee.

She looked up at him only to see the stoic mask that he normally wore. _What was his game?_ He was holding back, there was no doubt about that, but nowhere near as much as Kouga. She only had a moment to dwell on that as he came at her again. She ducked around him in time to avoid a slashing attack with his claws and continued to move away. But he turned in an instant and swept her legs out from under her, causing her to fall to her back. The wind momentarily knocked out of her, she opened her eyes in time to see a foot careening towards her. She rolled as fast as she could and finally got into a crouching position. He was not playing fair anymore. He had continued to increase his speed and strength since his last attack.

She looked around, but could not locate him. She was breathing way too hard. This had turned into much more than just practice. It was almost like he was on some sort of mission, but what? She looked around again, but still could not see him. She finally stood upright, though still at the ready. He could come from any direction and she had no idea what to expect. She was not scared of him, but the uncertainty had her on edge.

She was about to move out from her current position when she was suddenly grabbed about the waist and four sharp claws pressed into her neck.

"You should have heard me coming," he said sharply in her ear. She tried to ignore his closeness and focused on how mad she was at him.

"With what?" she shot back. "My super-human hearing, or my finely honed ninja skills? Neither of which I happen to have!" He lowered the claws at her neck and finally released her. She turned where she was but did not back away. "What the hell were you trying to do? Kill me?" she asked, anger vibrating in her voice, not caring that it showed. She wasn't about to hide it.

"Hmph," he smirked. "You are just as weak as the other humans, and no different." He spoke stoically, though she could have sworn she heard a small amount of question in that statement.

"I thought we were beyond that already," she replied. _What was wrong with him?_ He seemed to have regressed to when she had first met him. He only stood there staring at her coldly, a perfect mask to any emotions that he might be feeling. "I guess you really aren't the person I thought you could be," she added.

"Why would I care what a human thought?" he asked acidly, narrowing his eyes. She opened her mouth to rebuke him, but no words would come out past the lump in her throat. So she turned and walked away.

She had no idea where she was walking to, but she was angry enough that she just didn't care. Something _had_ changed in him, she was sure of it, and it wasn't just because of last night. She had seen the transformation he had undergone in just these last couple of weeks. Perhaps she was she wrong. Perhaps he _couldn't_ change.

--------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru watched her walk away from him. He knew that his last comment would upset her. He had meant it to. She had put up a decent fight, but she really was only human. _I'm making the right choice in pushing her away,_ he told himself. He had made the right choice, hadn't he? His mind answered _Of course_, but his chest was so tight he could barely breathe. He had barely been able to get those last words out and the pain and anger that showed on her face had not helped. He knew he could not lump her in with his opinion of other humans. In fact, she had become the most interesting human he had ever met. But he could not allow anything beyond friendship to develop. Friend, yes, he considered her a friend, but now he did not know if he would still have that friendship.

_No, it does not matter. It cannot matter._ He turned quickly and walked back to the castle before he changed his mind and follow her. Now he had to concentrate on taking down Naraku. The others must surely be awake by now and if they were not he would see to it that they were.

--------------------------------------------

They were all sitting around nibbling at breakfast when the servant came with Sesshoumaru's summons. Though, none of them were very hungry due to all of the food from the previous night. Now all of them, minus the children and Julia, stood in Sesshoumaru's study waiting for him to tell them what they all already suspected. Kagome understood why the children were absent, but she wondered briefly where Julia had gone off to.

"My informants have located Naraku." Sesshoumaru said in his usual bored tone. Kagome looked at him in surprise, but it was not because of his news. He looked like he had when she'd first met him. A completely emotionless mask, firmly in place with no hint of the changes she had seen worked in him. Something had happened, but before Kagome could dwell on it he pressed on. "They assure me that he is indeed there. So now it is up to us."

Kagome listened as the discussion turned to talk of how to go about the attack on Naraku's hideout. Surprisingly, Sesshoumaru allowed the others to throw out suggestions without shooting them down right away. The morning began to turn into late afternoon and they were still divided on how to do it. One side wanted to attack him head on, while the other wanted to lure him out much like they had before. The downside of the first would be that they were on his territory, with the upside of a possible surprise attack. The pro of luring him out would be that he would no longer have the advantage of the security of his base, while the con was that he may not fall for it a second time. A knock on the door stopped all of their discussion.

"Enter." Sesshoumaru called. _Probably Julia finally coming to join us_ Kagome thought. But the face that appeared was not hers.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, my Lord," Wakana apologized as she popped her head in, "but is Lady Julia in here with you?" She looked around for a moment and then answered herself. "Hmmm, I see that she is not. Do any of you know where she is? The children were asking about her and I have not seen her since last night."

"Wakana, have one of the other servants help you look. We are working on more important matters than a missing human," Sesshoumaru replied coldly. Kagome turned her head to him and glared. _What had that been about?_ That was the first snide comment about humans she had heard him make since he had met Julia.

"Begging your pardon, my Lord," Wakana apologized again and bowed slightly as she came through the door, "but I already have, several in fact, and they can't seem to find her." Kagome looked back at Sesshoumaru, but his face had not changed. Kagome extended her senses to see if she could locate the shard Julia always wore.

"We will worry about it later. Nothing can harm her within this shield." Sesshoumaru replied impatiently, with a wave to the invisible wall that surrounded his lands.

"We will deal with this now!" Kagome shot out suddenly, surprising everyone, including herself. "She's _not_ inside the shield!"

"WHAT!" Everyone yelled at once, except for Sesshoumaru, but Kagome thought his mask might have cracked slightly.

"I can't sense her shard," she explained, "so unless she took it off and threw it outside the shield…she isn't here anymore."

"What did you do to her?" Kouga growled, his attention focused on Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru looked back at Kouga, but said nothing. Then he stood and left the room through the outside door. Without waiting for an invitation, they all rose and followed him without a word. Sesshoumaru walked at an easy pace towards the back of the field and then deep into the trees.

"We spoke here this morning," he said quietly as he stopped, "I do not know what happened after that."

"Could it be that you more than spoke?" Kouga spat out as he glanced at the ground. Kagome followed his gaze to see that some of the grass and leaves looked unsettled, much like they had after Kouga and Inu Yasha's fight, though to a much lesser degree. For a moment Kagome worried that Sesshoumaru might have actually done something to Julia, but it just did not seem like him…not anymore.

"Her scent leads that way." Inu Yasha pointed as he followed his nose, Kouga close on his heels. Kagome ran after them, just behind Miroku and Sango, and noticed that Sesshoumaru was not far behind.

"Damn it!" she heard Inu Yasha say as she caught up to them.

"What's wrong?" she asked catching her breath.

"This is where the shield ends." Sesshoumaru answered as he came to stand behind her. She watched as Inu Yasha continued forward, but could see no difference. She followed the others through and she felt what she could not see. It was like the shield back at the cave quarry. There was no visible difference - the surroundings had not changed and if Julia was unable to feel the shield she would have had no idea she had crossed through it. _But why would Julia come out this far?_

"Her scent vanishes here." Kouga called out from a short distance away.

"What do you mean 'vanishes'?" Sango asked as she stopped beside him. Kagome could see Kirara frantically sniffing the air from Sango's shoulder, only to mew her agreement with Kouga a moment later.

"Could she have gone back?" Miroku asked rather cryptically, but Kagome knew what he meant. Could Julia have gone back to her own time? Kagome shook her head and Miroku frowned. There was no other way to travel through time other than the well, at least none that Kagome was aware of.

"She was taken," Inu Yasha said suddenly. All eyes turned to him.

"By that which has no smell or aura." Sesshoumaru added.

"What are you talking about?" Kouga asked testily.

"He means that there is an absence of any scent in some of these spots, almost like nothing was there, but…" Inu Yasha tried to explain.

"Kana," Miroku breathed. "She must have used her mirror to incapacitate Lady Julia. She could have been removed by any means then."

"More than likely the wind demoness was with her." Sesshoumaru added. "There are very slight traces of her scent. No doubt she tried to remove it with her wind."

"But how would Naraku know where to send them?" Sango asked, looking around her as if she expected the evil half-demon to attack at any moment. Nobody spoke, and the only sound was Sesshoumaru suddenly turning and walking back towards the barrier.

"Hey!" Kouga yelled and moved to block Sesshoumaru. "Answer her! How could he have known?"

"Move," Sesshoumaru commanded coldly, but Kouga stood his ground. Sesshoumaru slashed out at him then, forcing Kouga to duck out of the way. The demon lord then kept moving towards the barrier.

"What the hell?" shouted Kouga who immediately got in Sesshoumaru's way again.

"Kouga, wait!" Inu Yasha yelled, but this time Sesshoumaru did not give the wolf a mere warning. He simply grabbed Kouga by the neck as he rushed him and succeeded in pinning him against a tree.

The others, including Kagome, rushed forward to stop the fight, but as she did she noticed she passed through the barrier again.

"You think you are the only one who cares that she was taken?!" Sesshoumaru growled as he knocked Kouga against the tree once more, still holding the wolf by his neck. "Use your head! We were outside the barrier and Naraku knows where we are. Do you honestly think he was not watching to gloat over his little victory?"

"Sesshoumaru," Inu Yasha warned, "let him go." Sesshoumaru dropped Kouga and stepped away, though Kagome thought his eyes may have had a slightly red tint to them. Kouga sat against the tree rubbing his neck and eyeing Sesshoumaru.

"We need to figure out how to get her back," Miroku stated in his calm voice.

"He knows we will be coming for her," Sango added.

"That may have been his plan all along." Sesshoumaru had control of his voice once more and Kagome could see the he had his emotions in check as well. "He must have let my informants find him with the intent to have them trailed back. I had thought them better than that," he muttered to himself.

"But he couldn't have known that Julia would be outside the barrier," Kagome said, still trying to understand what had made her friend go out that far.

"No," Sesshoumaru replied, his voice low, "that he could not have known. It was merely a coincidence that Julia happened to be caught."

"Come on." Inu Yasha called out, already starting towards the castle. "We need to get our weapons, make a plan, and go." Sango and Miroku followed close behind Inu Yasha. Kouga finally stood but did not leave right away.

"If _anything_ happens to her…" His growling voice was more venomous than Kagome had ever heard it before. His icy blue eyes never left Sesshoumaru's. "Come on, Kagome." Kouga added after a moment or two had passed. "Let's go save our friend." He swept an arm around her and guided her back towards the castle. Kagome shot a parting glance back over her shoulder to find Sesshoumaru with an expression she had never seen on his face before. He was worried and perhaps…slightly guilty. _Whatever it was that had happened between those two must have been what made Julia wander too far_ Kagome realized.

------------------------------------

The fog started to lift from Julia's brain and her senses began coming back to her. The last thing she remembered was coming across a little girl in the woods, a blinding light, and then darkness.

"So how did I get here?" she asked no one in particular as she finally opened her eyes. She sat against a wall with her hands tied over her head. Her fingers felt numb so she must have been here for a while, but…_Where is__ here? _she wondered.

"I had you brought here," a voice replied from the shadows in the back of the room. Julia jerked her head up towards the direction the voice had come from to see Naraku step forward. _Oh crap_ she thought as she let out the breath she had been holding. "Kagura you have met," he gestured to his left and the wind demoness came up behind him, "and this is Kana," he said with a gesture of his right hand. The little girl from the woods was suddenly at his other side. Julia's eyes shot open. It had been a trap! But how, how could Naraku have known where to find them and how did he get one of his people inside the barrier? "I see you recognize her, good." He walked forward, continuing to speak. "I shall have to thank Sesshoumaru for sending such incompetent fools to find me - otherwise I never would have located his hiding place. But you being the first one to emerge was just too perfect." He was standing right above her now. "You are being awfully quiet. From what I hear you are quite the talker."

"I just don't feel like wasting my breath on _filth_," she hissed. '_Oh, that wasn't smart._' Julia thought as Naraku reached down, grabbed the collar of her shirt and dragged her to her feet, allowing the rope enough slack so that her hands were now at her waist. They tingled as the blood rushed back into her fingers. She belatedly realized that she had bigger things to be thinking about than tingly fingers as Naraku shoved her against the wall and held her there.

"A _human_ piece of trash is calling me filth." His eyes narrowed as he spoke, the fist holding on to her collar pushing in harder as he continued to pin her to the wall. She ground her teeth against the pain. She would _not_ give him the satisfaction of seeing what his handiwork was doing. "Perhaps silence was a better idea for you."

"From what I hear you are lower than a human," she spat out. "A melting pot of a waste of human flesh and whatever demon parts you could scrounge." Sparks flew across her eyes as his hand connected with her right cheek. She might have fallen to her knees had he still not been holding her against the wall. She tasted the blood in her mouth from where the inside of her cheek had been cut by a tooth. "Too close to home, hmm?" she smirked, or tried to, as she looked back up at him. He removed his hand from her collar and thankfully she had her feet under her so that she did not hit the floor. She leaned against the wall and eyed him. _I am not weak _she told herself. _I can stand up to whatever Naraku can dish out at me._ He did not have the kind of control over his emotions that Sesshoumaru did. He was angry. She also noticed that his hand looked slightly burned. Could it be that he had tried to take the shard from her? Well, at least _it_ was safe. Now she just had to stay alive.

"Well then, if you don't wish to remain silent then you will tell me where you came from and how you have bound that shard to you." It was a good shot at being demanding, but he was nowhere near as intimidating as Sesshoumaru could be … _Sesshoumaru, the others, I wonder if they are looking for me yet. _ "You will answer me!" His outburst brought her focus back to him. If she was going to stay alive she really should pay attention to what he was saying.

"I don't have to tell you anything," she replied and spat some blood at his feet. Though taunting him was probably not such a brilliant idea either. Oh well. "The way I see it, I have something _you_ need and you can't get it unless I cooperate. So what makes you think I'm going to do that?"

"There are other ways of getting what I want," he responded calmly as an evil smile appeared on his lips. "Kagura, watch her. Kana, come with me." Naraku swept out of the room with the little girl in tow. The only other person in the room was Kagura and she did not look too happy about it.

"I can't believe you work for that creep," Julia said after a moment. She leaned more comfortably against the wall, but did not sit.

"I do not _work_ for him," the wind demoness responded coldly.

"What, you're his girlfriend then?" Julia asked, curious at her response and not really wanting to dwell on her current situation.

"Hardly," she replied, obviously annoyed at the question, "now be silent."

"It just seems that a classy lady like you is too good to be his lackey." Julia continued smoothly, ignoring Kagura's demand to be silent. Julia really had no idea what kind of a person Kagura was, but she had noticed that the demoness did not really appear to like Naraku.

"There are reasons I serve him," she answered as she turned her back to Julia, "none of which are any concern of yours." She could hear the disdain in the demoness's voice, but it was not directed towards her - it was for Naraku.

"If you hate him so much why do you help him?" Julia pressed on, eager to either sway her captor into letting her go or to at least cause a little strife between the two. It couldn't hurt.

"Do you not listen? I told you there are reasons." Kagura said as she turned back to face Julia, her ruby eyes burning with rage. "I will rejoice the day he is gone, but for now I have no choice."

"But if you helped us that day would come a lot sooner," Julia stated as she brought her bound hands to touch her sore, and surely bruising, face.

"You are so naive." Kagura remarked as she folded her arms across her chest and tapped her fan against her shoulder. "You have no idea who you are dealing with. You taunt him, but it will only make matters worse for you." Julia was about to badmouth Naraku again when she was silenced by another voice cutting through the air.

"Kagura, that is enough." Julia looked for the owner of the voice, but could see no one. "Prepare her for me." Julia looked back at Kagura to see her shaking her head momentarily, then the demoness suddenly looked up at her. Without warning Kagura sent a gust of wind towards Julia, blowing her back against the wall and then dropping her to the floor. Her arms shot above her head and she hung from them momentarily as she caught her breath. She heard footsteps approaching, small foot steps. When she finally raised her head she was looking into the face of a toddler, but the eyes of someone much older and definitely not as innocent. "Your will shall become mine and your shard will become ours," he said quietly as his little hand landed on her knee. She tried to scoot away from him, but found that she could not move. "Open your soul to me," he said, again in hushed tones. "Show me the darkness that lies within your heart." He had climbed into her lap and now clung to the front of her shirt.

A chill passed through her body and she began to lose focus on the room. _What is going on?_ she thought to herself. _Who is this twerp? _She tried to regain control, but the harder she fought, the more lost she became. **_Show me your heart_** kept running faintly through her head. She felt like she was floating in the darkness. She was alone. Her feet seemed to hit something solid and she stood staring into the blackness around her. She didn't like dark places. In every direction there was nothing but darkness. It was beginning to feel like it was suffocating her.

"You are not good enough," said a voice as it pierced the silence. Julia looked frantically about but could see nothing.

"Who are you?" she called out. A vision of Sesshoumaru staring down at her faded into existence in front of her, a look of utter distain upon his face. She didn't care. "Sesshoumaru, you've got to help me!" she called as she walked towards him. She was not alone in the darkness, not as long as he was there.

"You are only human," he said coldly, "why would I ever care for you?" Julia stared at him in utter disbelief as the vision turned and began to walk away.

"You are a different person now," she called after him.

"Only human," he said again, though it was more like a distant echo that now continued to sound in her head. Julia sank to her knees, unable to comprehend what was going on.

She had been a fool to think that there could have been anything there. Sesshoumaru was just using her and her friends to get what he wanted. In the end all he wanted was Naraku to be defeated and everyone gone from his life. _I should have just given them the shard and gone home._ A vision of her little apartment flashed into her head followed by other fond memories of her time. _I don't belong here, I was an even bigger fool to think that I did…even for a little while._

**_That's right_**. A voice seemed to say softly somewhere in the darkness. **_You don't belong here, you should just give me the shard and you can go home to where you belong._** Julia reached up to the shard around her neck. It was warm again, just like it was outside the Higurashi Shrine all those weeks ago. Images of all of the people she had met and made friends with flashed through her head. **_They don't care about you_** the other voice cooed in her head. **_They just want the shard._** She started to take the shard off of her neck and then stopped. _No, that's not true._ Memories flashed in her mind -Sango thanking her for being there to rescue her brother, Kagome making a similar comment regarding how she dealt with Inu Yasha and Kouga. _They wanted me here, they are my friends._ She removed her hand from her shard.

"You are only human…" Sesshoumaru's voice echoed once more. Julia hung her head again and then stood up.

"That won't work you little bastard!" she shouted into the darkness. She remembered where she was, she knew what was going on, and she was _not_ weak. "So what if I am upset about some guy not liking me? So what if I have doubts about the decisions I have made? I am only human! I make a mistake, I learn, I move on! End of story! I haven't gotten this far in life by dwelling on all the mistakes I made along the way!" There was nothing but silence. "I made a promise to my friends and I intend to keep it. This shard will not be yours!"

The shard around her neck glowed brightly, shattering the darkness she was trapped in. The world seemed to spin and then she was suddenly back in her own body. The little brat was still clinging to her front, but looked substantially less smug, even tired.

"So not even Akago could persuade you," said Naraku calmly from the doorway. He began to walk towards her, his eyes focused on hers. "But, you will break…there is no doubt about that, and that shard will be mine."

"Guess I can't stop you from dreaming, can I?" she retorted. His hand once again connected with her face. _I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut_ she thought, and then let the darkness take her.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Hmmm, a cliff hanger…I don't think I have ever left you with a cliff hanger before….maybe I am not so nice ;D Review, more coming soon.


	14. The Decision

Update: Chapter edited.

Disclaimer: Only Julia is mine…

A/N: I was called a tease…hmmm…I'll take that as a compliment ;D

So I am waiting for my ears to stop ringing from a night on the town and in all honestly should be attempting to sleep since I have work tomorrow, but I feel that you guys deserve another chapter.

With a chapter title like this one you gotta wonder who is making what decision…and this isn't even the last chapter. You heard me there is more…oh yes there is more.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Fourteen: The Decision

Early morning light flooded into the valley below them. Sesshoumaru could not possibly morph them all there and still have any strength left to battle Naraku, so they traveled throughout the night and now sat perched upon the cliff overlooking Naraku's new hideout. As much as Inu Yasha hated to lose time he did _not_ want to drain one of their better fighters needlessly.

He'd been shocked by Sesshoumaru's reaction to Julia's disappearance. By all accounts it seemed that he had put any trace of feeling he had had for anyone far behind him when he called them all together the previous morning. But if Inu Yasha had not stepped in yesterday, Kouga might not have been able to fight with them this morning. He had realized what was going on the first time Sesshoumaru slashed at Kouga, but the stupid wolf would not listen to him. _Of course Sesshoumaru would not want Naraku to see him look defeated._

Shortly after, Sesshoumaru seemed to regain his head and had been quick to give orders on their upcoming fight. Inu Yasha thanked who ever might be listening that Sesshoumaru had not just blasted off on his own. This was not a personal vendetta any longer. It was something bigger and all of them had a reason to be there when Naraku was finally defeated.

"We gonna do this?" he asked getting the others attention.

"He probably knows we are here," Miroku remarked from his spot behind Sango on Kirara.

"There is nothing we can do about that," Sesshoumaru stated as he came to stand next to Inu Yasha.

"Let's go, then," Sango declared as she patted Kirara to give her the go ahead. Their plan was to flank the house from as many directions as possible, but that would be mainly a distraction to get in and secure Julia. Then the real battle would begin.

"You better bring her out of there alive," Kouga growled at Sesshoumaru, as he set off down the cliff face. Inu Yasha had noticed the growing attachment the wolf had for Julia, but he had paid it no mind since Kouga continued to flirt with Kagome. Now he wondered how much the wolf felt for the older girl. Sesshoumaru said nothing, not that Inu Yasha had expected him to. After his outburst the previous day he had been quite calm.

"Come on, Inu Yasha." Kagome prompted as she hopped on his back. "It's our turn." He had not wanted her to come at all, but she would not hear of it. So in the end he figured that if she was coming, she was staying with him.

"Let's do this, Sesshoumaru," he called as he set off to his designated position. Once again they would be drawing fire while Sesshoumaru got to play hero. _Maybe he likes it_ Inu Yasha thought to himself with a smirk.

--------------------------------

Sesshoumaru watched Inu Yasha charge down the hill after the others. As expected, the others had already met with some opposition. He did not need the wolf to tell him to bring her out alive; he would see to it that she was alright, one way or another. He thumbed the hilt of his Tenseiga, but silently hoped that he would not need to use it. Regardless of the knowledge that he could bring her back, he did not know if he could stand to see her lifeless body. Pushing those thoughts aside he morphed and shot towards the castle. The others were doing their parts. Now it was time he did his.

He landed on the outside porch next to a door that he was sure would lead him to her. He went carefully inside, sure that Naraku would have any number of traps waiting for him, only to find the room empty. _She is being held further in. _He grimaced. He knew this had to be a trap, but there was no other choice. He had to get her out of this…since he had gotten her into it. He had tried to deny it, but anyway he looked at what had happened he knew it was caused because he had acted cruelly. He had meant to push her away, but not into Naraku's clutches. _She is smarter than that,_ he thought to himself, _why would she do such a foolish thing?_

He moved through the doorway that led farther into the house. There were hanging lanterns stationed every few feet to make up for the lack of sunlight, but he would not have needed them. He quickly and carefully followed her scent down the hall. He became aware of the fight raging on outside. It sounded like everyone had met some resistance. _Hopefully they can keep it outside and away from Julia,_ he thought as he stopped in front of the door he believed led to where Julia was kept.

Her scent was definitely stronger here than the previous room, but anything could be in there. He stood flush against the wall the door was on and carefully slide the door open. Nothing happened. He steeled himself and then stepped into the room prepared for anything.

It was dark, but for one candle burning at the back of the room. It took Sesshoumaru's eyes only a moment to adjust to the lack of light, and then he saw her. She was sitting on the floor against the wall with her hands tied above her head. The glint from around her neck told him the shard was still there, but other than its minor oscillation there was no movement from her.

In a heartbeat he was kneeling in front of her and with one swift motion he cut the rope holding her there. She fell instantly forward, but he was there to break her fall. He turned her so that she was lying face up in his arms. He removed the ropes from around her wrists and cursed when he saw the marks they left.

He checked quickly to see that she was still breathing and, to his relief, she was. He brushed the hair out of her face and breathed in sharply at the discoloration around her right cheek. It was then that he noticed her stirring slightly.

"Julia," he called softly as he stood with her and moved towards the door. She slowly opened her eyes, but only partly.

"Sesshoumaru?" she said in nothing more than a whisper, disbelief in her voice. Somehow, that struck a nerve more than seeing her hurt. "Run," she breathed out again, "It's a trap." A low evil laugh rolling from somewhere deeper in the room caused him to stop in their escape. Turning, Sesshoumaru saw Naraku emerge from the darkness almost as if he were coming out from behind a veil.

"You will pay for this," he growled out as he protectively held on to Julia's limp form.

"I thought you would be happy to have one less human in the world, Lord Sesshoumaru. Or do you have yet another soft spot?" Naraku replied as he smiled evilly. Sesshoumaru growled once more and was about to place Julia out of harm's way so that he could deal with Naraku when the wall behind him was suddenly blasted.

First through the hole was Kouga along with the demon hunter and the monk, followed closely by Kagome and Inu Yasha bring up the rear brandishing the Tetsusaiga. All but Inu Yasha and Kouga ran towards him.

"I feared that you would be here," the monk said as he drew nearer. "It seemed as though they were herding us in this direction." Sesshoumaru shot a glare over to Naraku who only continued to smile. _So that is his game._ A blast from the back of the room told Sesshoumaru that Inu Yasha had just unleashed his wind scar attack on the demons behind them. Then his half-brother came bounding over them to face off with Naraku.

Kouga was still facing down various minor demons, but Sesshoumaru did not miss the worried glances the wolf was sending his way. Kouga was aided by the demon hunter and fire cat, but the wind scar had taken most of the opposing demons out. Kagome was firing arrows at any that looked like they might be threatening to overpower her friends.

"Thanks for waiting for me, Naraku," Inu Yasha called, arrogance in his voice. An arrow shot over Naraku's shoulder and illuminated the back of the room as it struck the shield surrounding him.

"Impudent girl," Naraku stated as he sent a blast towards her, but with speeds that Sesshoumaru had not known Inu Yasha possessed, the half-demon swept the girl out of harm's way. He then quickly turned towards Naraku and sent an attack using the Tetsusaiga with more energy than Sesshoumaru thought he was capable of towards his enemy. Naraku was apparently as surprised by the act as Sesshoumaru was since his smile faded as the area around the shield was decimated.

Sesshoumaru took the opportunity to place Julia safely on the ground and approached Naraku as well. Inu Yasha glanced over his shoulder at him and nodded. Together they moved swiftly towards Naraku, swords drawn, but before either could unleash an attack what was left of the room was filled with Naraku's poisonous smoke and he lifted himself through a hole in the roof. The smoke wasn't dissipating and it was then that Sesshoumaru realized that Naraku had erected a barrier around them, effectively trapping them with the poison. He heard the humans start to cough, and even the demons would eventually succumb to it.

"I'll just come collect the shards from your corpses!" Naraku taunted as he continued to drift away and then suddenly vanished.

Inu Yasha looked over at Sesshoumaru and a silent agreement passed between them. They were _not_ going to die here. The Tetsusaiga flared an angry red and Tokijin a bright blue. In unison they attacked the barrier surrounding them and pierced it with ease. Immediately, Inu Yasha lifted Kagome into his arms and Sesshoumaru was close behind with Julia. Kouga made sure Sango and Miroku were secure on Kirara, and then they all took off.

_That was too easy_ Sesshoumaru thought as they flew back towards his castle. _The barrier should not have shattered with that much ease, not if Naraku had really intended to trap and kill us there. Could it have been to set up another one of his schemes?_ It was likely, but what this new scheme was, he could not yet guess.

His gaze drifted to the still form of the human who was causing him so much trouble. She lay motionless in his arms, but he could faintly hear her heat beat. She seemed so fragile and delicate, not like the fired-up and tough woman he had come to care for. Naraku had said he had another soft spot, and as much as he hated to admit it, it was true. He had tried to push her away from him and deny any feelings that threatened to overcome him, and yet he had rushed off to save her, threatened Naraku for what he had done to her. He knew he did not want her to leave him, but still…could he allow himself more than that?

------------------------------------------------------

Julia had come to while the girls were getting her cleaned up and put into her futon. Wakana was helping and apparently keeping the boys away. Kagome had made some comment about how strong the old demoness was to manhandle all the guys out of the room, but Julia couldn't find the strength to smile. All she could manage was a whisper about wanting a bath.

So there she sat, in the hot springs with Kagome on one side and Sango on the other, both insisting that they merely wanted to keep her company, but Julia knew they just wanted to make she didn't fall forward and drown.

"Are you guys all okay?" she finally asked when she found some strength had returned to her.

"Yes," Sango replied, "everyone is fine."

"I'm sorry you guys had to be put in danger because of me," Julia admitted. "I feel like a real idiot right now."

"You shouldn't," Kagome said gently. "There was no way you could have known that you had passed through the shield around the castle."

"So that was it," Julia mumbled to herself. _Guess Naraku hadn't found a way in. Now I feel even more stupid._ She sunk slightly deeper in the water. Her shoulder ached as she did so, but the heat gradually took the pain away. She reached up with her other hand and gently pressed around the sore area. There was definitely going to be a mark.

"So how's my face look?" she asked moving her hand from her shoulder to her face. She had yet to actually look in a mirror, but she could feel the swelling. Kagome and Sango both scrunched up their faces. "That bad, huh?"

"No," Kagome lied as she shook her head.

"Don't worry. I have some ointment that will help take the swelling down," Sango added after a moment.

"I'm sure that it'll be okay," Julia tried to say in a light tone. "But, I just feel so tired. I don't understand why."

"What did Naraku do to you?" Kagome asked, but with a little hesitation.

"Other than leaving these?" she gestured to her face and shoulder, "Nothing. But, there was this kid..." She could see some recognition flash in Kagome's eyes.

"Akago tried to take control of you?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"I guess that was his name," replied Julia, "but I figured out what was going on. I take it you've met the little bugger before?" Kagome could not speak, but Sango told her how Kagome had been captured and Akago had attempted to control her so that Naraku could use her to search for the jewel shards.

"So you were out of it for a little while too, then." Julia directed her comment at Kagome, but she still seemed to be reliving that horrible moment. Julia could understand why. The feeling of having someone crawling around inside your very soul was not something she was going to soon forget, either.

"So how long was I gone?" she asked to change the topic and get Kagome out of her own thoughts. However, she was starting to feel her strength leaving her again.

"Only a day." replied Kagome, a little sheepishly. Then she launched into an explanation for why it was that her missing had gone unnoticed for so long. Julia was shocked when Kagome told her about Sesshoumaru ramming Kouga into a tree. The surprise continued as she told her about how he had led the others in her rescue and insisted that he be the one to get her. Julia flashed momentarily on what she thought was a dream at the time. Sesshoumaru holding her and saying her name with a hint of affection. She had thought it only a dream, but was it possible that he had really been the one to free her?

All of her happy thoughts suddenly faded as the image Akago had conjured up flared brightly in her head. 'How could I ever care for you?' She couldn't do this to herself. She would have to finish what Sesshoumaru had obviously tried to start the other day. She would allow him to push her away, and then some. She would run at the same time.

Julia excused herself, saying something about needing sleep, but as she stood her legs gave way beneath her. The other girls immediately took hold of her and helped her out. She insisted she was fine, but they still held onto her while she put her robe on. They made her wait while they too put on their robes and then escorted her down the hall to her room.

She thought she heard herself thanking them as they helped her into her futon, but she was so tired at that point. Shortly after they slid the door closed she found herself floating in a blissfully dreamless sleep.

----------------------------------------------------

It was nearing the end of the day and Julia had yet to come out of her room. Sesshoumaru had toyed with the idea of going to see how she was, but Wakana had been offering severe punishments to anyone who disturbed her, and he did not think the lord of the castle was exempt in this matter. The other problem was the he had no idea what to say to her.

At their morning meal Kagome had said that she had spoken with her the previous night and that she seemed alright. She and the demon hunter took turns relating what Julia had to say, but the tale was brief.

Rin had found her way to him at one point during the day to ask if Julia was alright, and ask when she would be able to play with her again. He had told her that Julia would be fine, but that he did not know when she would be able to play again. Rin left, sulking the entire way out of the study. It appeared that everyone seemed to be in a similar mood. It amazed him how one person could affect everyone so deeply in such a short amount of time.

_She is special, even for a human,_ he thought with a mirthless laugh as he walked between the trees that bordered the field of his castle. He knew he cared for her, there was no denying that, but how could he allow himself to feel anything more than that, to become weak? He looked down at his left hand and frowned. His father had said that he had care for someone other than himself and that was why he was granted use of his hand again. That moment of what he preserved as weakness had actually manifested into added strength, but…

"You ever gonna tell me you got that thing back?" asked a voice, breaking into his thoughts. He looked up to see Inu Yasha leaning against a tree, much like he had been a few days ago. Sesshoumaru stopped walking and eyed him. "I guess not," Inu Yasha added with a half smile and walked closer to Sesshoumaru.

"What do you want?" Sesshoumaru asked, though he really didn't care. Inu Yasha sneaking up on him like this was only serving to add to his perceived weakness.

"Naraku is up to something," he stated with out preamble. Sesshoumaru had suspected something too, but had not yet brought it up to anyone. "He would not have set that weak a shield if he had really meant to kill us."

"I thought as much, myself," Sesshoumaru replied with a nod.

"We need to figure out what his game is before we can act again." Sesshoumaru only nodded again. It still surprised him when Inu Yasha displayed more brains than Sesshoumaru thought he had, but then again his half-brother had done a lot of things recently that he had never thought possible for a half demon.

"How did you -" he started to ask and then wasn't sure how to continue. Gods, was he actually about to praise his worthless half brother? Inu Yasha raised an eyebrow at him, but held his tongue. "Where did you get the extra power the other day when we were fighting Naraku?" There, that did not sound too complimentary.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, somewhat defensively.

"When your woman was in trouble and afterwards," he explained. He did not need Inu Yasha throwing a tantrum about him always being that good. Sesshoumaru had fought him before and he had indeed improved, but the kind of power he had when he was protecting her was something he had never seen from the half-demon before. Inu Yasha's face changed and he look more introspective.

"Because she was in trouble," he answered a moment later. "Kagome is my strength. If I were to lose her…" he shook his head, obviously trying not to think of that possibility.

"But you've been injured because of her," Sesshoumaru stated. He knew that since he had caused some of those times. Inu Yasha must have remembered those instances too, as he narrowed his eyes at him, then he shook his head with a sigh.

"If she'd've listened to me that wouldn't have happened, but she has a tendency to think for herself." He smiled wryly then. "Good thing she does, too, because that has gotten us out of a lot of hard times."

"How can you say she is your strength when clearly she is a weakness to be used by your enemies?" Sesshoumaru asked, not really believing that he was having this conversation with his half brother.

"I have to be stronger in order to make sure that doesn't happen," he replied, but it was almost like he was telling himself this. Then he looked up at Sesshoumaru, his eyes hard. "That is what you thought my mother was to Father, wasn't it? A weakness." Sesshoumaru looked away from him. This was definitely not something he ever thought he would talking about, especially not with his half brother. "Because she was human?" He could hear the anger in Inu Yasha's voice, but he still did not answer him. "You are so blind." His half-brother added, a little less venom in his voice. Sesshoumaru turned to look at Inu Yasha then and to his surprise his eyes had actually softened. "It was my mother who gave our father his strength back after your mother died." Sesshoumaru stared numbly at him, the truth hitting him like buckets of cold water. Inu Yasha turned to leave and then paused.

"It doesn't matter if you are demon or human or," Inu Yasha turned back to look at him, "somewhere in between. Love is love. It affects everyone the same for good or bad." He turned again and walked away.

Sesshoumaru's head was reeling. Especially with the thought that his worthless whelp of a half brother could actually be right. He looked down at he restored hand again.

"Was that really it, Father?" he asked quietly.

------------------------------------------------

Inu Yasha could not believe what had just happened. Sesshoumaru was in a state of utter confusion and not likely to snap out of it anytime soon. He was still not sure what had possessed him to speak like that, but somehow he knew it was the right thing to say.

He had finally found his happiness with Kagome and, as much as he resented his brother for their past, he did not want to see Julia suffer because of Sesshoumaru's ignorance. He was not as blind as everyone thought he was to the emotions of others. He merely pretended not to care. It was only an act intended to keep his own feelings in check most of the time.

He had no idea if he'd actually had any effect on his thick headed brother. _But hell, if I can start spouting poetry then he can get over his past_. Inu Yasha shuddered as he remembered his words.

"Man, if any of the others had heard that my image would be ruined," he said quietly to himself as he continued his walk toward the castle. Now they needed to figure out what Naraku was up to and why he had let Julia go so easily. Perhaps the others would have some ideas.

-------------------------------------

Julia had stayed in her room the day before recuperating, among other things. She was not too badly injured by Naraku. Only a couple of bumps, and she knew her face probably still look horrible, but she had still felt so tired and drained. However, every time she closed her eyes all she could see was Akago's image of Sesshoumaru saying he would never care for a human.

_I don't care_, she told herself over and over again, but it did not work. So that morning she decided that she needed to find some distractions. She dressed as quickly as she could, willing herself not to feel tired, and headed to breakfast. She paused outside the door to the dining room, took a deep breath and put a smile on. She was determined not to let the others worry about her anymore.

"Good morning, everyone," she said as cheerfully as she could manage as she walked in. They stopped talking and looked up at her with apprehensive faces. Well, everyone but the kids.

"Julia!" the little girl squealed as she jumped up and rushed her, stopping only when she had a firm grip around her legs. Julia almost lost her balance, but caught it before she found herself on the floor. That just would not have been a very good way to start the morning.

"Hi Rin," she said as she patted the girl's head, "did you miss me?" she asked with a smile and attempted to walk towards an empty place setting with her still attached. Rin finally got the idea and let go of her legs only to grab her hand and led her to a spot next to where she was sitting.

"Are you feeling better this morning, Lady Julia?" Miroku asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Much," she lied through a smile. But, it must have been good enough because everyone seemed to relax then. "So what were you guys talking about?"

"Naraku," Inu Yasha answered honestly, but she saw Kagome eye him. She was obviously worried that it would only remind her of her capture, but where Naraku was concerned she was having very few nightmares.

"What about him?" she asked nonchalantly and then shoveled some rice into her mouth. She hadn't realized how hungry she was. Wakana had brought her some food yesterday, but she had been treating her like a sick person, giving her only soup and water. Good, though it was hardly filling.

"We were trying to figure out why it was he did not put up more of a fight when we came to get you," continued Inu Yasha.

"From what Kagome told me the other night it sounded like quite a battle," she commented around another mouthful of food.

"Well it appeared that way to us at first, too," Miroku cut in. "But we all agreed last night his final trick was less than convincing." Julia figured Miroku was talking about the shield that was supposed to keep them inside the poison filled room.

"Julia, did he say anything to you that might help?" asked Sango, a small blush appearing on her face. She obviously did not want to ask, but knew that Julia might have information that would help. Unfortunately…

"No, not that I can remember," she told them after a sip of tea to wash down her food. "He just seemed really upset when he couldn't get the shard from me."

"He must have realized he could not take it from you if he killed you, so that is why you were still alive when we found you, but why pretend like he was going to kill all of us when clearly he knew we could escape?" Miroku spoke so clinically about her possible death that it almost made the situation humorous in her eyes. Well, morbidly humorous, but still humorous.

"Yeah, I don't know," she said again and was going to tell a little of her experience with Akago when Sesshoumaru entered the room from the main hall entrance. She put the chop stick full of rice in her mouth and looked away from him. She had told herself that there was a possibility that he would be there, and that she could deal with it, but now that the time had actually come she didn't think that she could. "Well, I'm full," she said in her cheerful voice after quickly swallowing her food. "I think I'm going to get some fresh air. See you guys later."

She quickly got up and left the room before the others could protest. She didn't spare a glance Sesshoumaru's way, but she told herself that he would not care. _You are just helping him to push you away_, she reminded herself, _that is what he wanted, and that is what you want._

She thought of going to the garden, but thought better of it. Too many memories. So she headed towards the field in the back of the manor. She was halfway to the trees before she realized she had a shadow. Thankfully, it was Kouga.

"What brings you out here?" she asked with a smile.

"Just thought I'd get some air, too," he replied and fell in beside her. They walked silently until Kouga cleared his throat.

"Julia," he started, "what is going on?"

"With what?" Julia asked as she looked over at him, unsure as to what he was talking about, and hoping it was not what she thought it was.

"With Sesshoumaru?" he clarified, but she could see that he was somewhat annoyed at her feigned ignorance. "The reason for your exit was not because you wanted some fresh air."

"How do you know?" she asked with a smile, trying to ignore his question. Alas, it did not work. He raised his eyebrow at her and waited. "Nothing," she answered shortly and looked away.

"You and I have been straight with each other from day one," he stated rather harshly, "why are you hiding things now?" Julia knew he was right, and for some reason she felt that if she could tell anyone what she was feeling it was Kouga.

"There really is nothing going on," she answered again with a small smile, "there can't be."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, clearly confused.

"I'm human," she answered simply.

"So?" he replied. He said it like it was nothing. As it should be, but she could see in his eyes that he understood.

"Sesshoumaru doesn't like humans, remember?" she explained with a small laugh.

"Hah," laughed Kouga a bit more heartily. "That's not what the back of my head thinks." He rubbed the back of his head for emphasis and Julia knew it was from Sesshoumaru's actions the other day, a piece of information that she still did not want to admit really happened.

"It doesn't matter," she told him softly, "he hasn't really changed and I don't think he wants to change. Besides, I can't stay here. I don't belong here." She said it with such finality that she almost believed it too, but the tears that threatened to fall kept it from sinking in. Kouga only furrowed his brows and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yet," he said a moment later, "despite that fact you still fell for him?" She nodded slightly. She had a hard time believing it herself. She hadn't meant to care for him as anything more than a friend, but somewhere along the way that had changed. "I don't get it," he said, utter disbelief in his voice, "this blasted dog family seems to have all the luck with women." Julia stopped walking and stared at his back as he continued on.

"Kouga?" Was he saying what she thought he was saying? He stopped and then slowly turned around, arms still crossed, a genuine smile gracing his lips.

"Dog Breath almost let a special girl get away, and now his brother is proving to be just as blind," he said casually as he walked slowly towards her and then stopped just short of her. "He has no idea what he is letting slip through his fingers," he continued as he gently cupped her uninjured cheek.

"Kouga, I.." she didn't know what to say. She had always looked at Kouga as a little brother type, but clearly he was more grown up than she gave him credit for.

"I don't want anything from you, Julia," he said quietly as he wiped a tear that had slipped out off of her cheek with his thumb. "I only want you to be happy. I mean that." She lost control and let the waterworks come as she lurched forward and hugged him. He placed his arms around her and held her tightly. "You want me to go knock some sense into him for you?" His voice was so serious that she couldn't help but laugh.

"No," she finally said as she got control of her giggles and her tears, then pushed away from him. "It doesn't matter. I told you, I can't stay here. I don't know why I would have ever considered it a possibility to begin with." She smiled at him and then added, "Besides, if you did he might kill you. I don't think I could live with myself if that happened." He narrowed his eyes at her, but she couldn't help but smile. _There is someone out there for you Kouga, someone who will make you very happy, and I'm sure you will make her happy as well._

_------------------------------------------------------_

Sesshoumaru was starting to see a pattern. She left when he walked in at their morning meal, she left when he had followed the kids out to find her sometime after the wolf had, and now she left the dining room during their evening meal saying something about being too tired. She seemed energetic enough before he had entered the room. He had heard her laughter, which was what had actually drawn him there to begin with.

She was avoiding him, there was no doubt about it. He sat through the rest of the meal listening to the others prattle away so as not to make his feelings obvious. What feelings those were he could not rightly say, but he was feeling _something_. Anger, hurt, and confusion to just name a few. He had gone to rescue her after all, and now she was giving him the cold shoulder. _Only after you purposefully hurt her_, he reminded himself. She really wasn't conscious for his little heroic display anyway, and as far as she knew he still did not want anything to do with her. He needed to talk to her. Needed to tell her…tell her what? He hadn't really decided what it was he could tell her, but he still needed to talk to her.

The others had finally drifted off to their respective rooms and he pretended to do the same, but as soon as he entered his room he exited through the outside door and headed around the porch for Julia's room. However, someone had already beaten him there.

"How are you feeling tonight, Lady Julia?" asked the old demoness.

"Just fine Wakana, thank you," replied Julia. Sesshoumaru leaned casually against the wall to her room and waited. Wakana could not be there long.

"We were all glad when you were returned to us safely," she said, a smile evident in her voice.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Julia countered. "I'm sure Jaken, at least, was praying for my demise at Naraku's hands." He heard Wakana stifle a laugh.

"On the contrary! He also hoped you would return safely once he saw the state our Lord was in after your disappearance." Sesshoumaru hadn't really given much thought to the way his servants would react to his gallivanting across the countryside to rescue a human. As much as he had insisted it was to take Naraku out, he knew that his servants were not blind; he just didn't think he had been that obvious. Though even Sesshoumaru had to admit that Jaken had been uncharacteristically concerned over Julia's disappearance – he'd even offered to watch Rin while they were gone.

"And what state was that?" he heard Julia ask, though he almost had to strain to pick it up as she had dropped her voice slightly.

"Well, at first when I told him that I could not find you he'd told me it was unimportant because they were discussing battle plans or some nonsense," she said flatly. _Don't tell her that_, he thought to himself. "But, after I explained how thoroughly I had looked he was quite visibly upset. Why, he personally rushed to ascertain your whereabouts. Once you were returned safely I practically had to beat him out of the room so we could tend to you. I think he must have walked by your door at least once an hour yesterday, but I was of a mind that you should not be bothered." She was making him sound like some kind of lost puppy, was it already too late for him?

"Oh," came her reply. _That was it? 'Oh'?!_ Wakana had made him sound completely lost with out her and all she could say was 'Oh'!? Sesshoumaru leaned up off the wall to enter the room and set the record straight, when Julia continued. "It was good of him to be concerned for life of a simple human." The words cut deep and he slouched back against the wall. She still could not look past his words from the other day.

"Oh, pish posh," chided Wakana after a moment, "what is this only human nonsense? You are a special breed, you are. You live such short lives and yet somehow you manage to make so much of them, while most demons live for centuries without truly opening their eyes." Had she just raised her voice a notch? "But, my dear, once the eyes are open it is impossible to close them again." If he didn't know better he could have sworn she was talking to him. _Could she know he was listening?_

"Thank you, Wakana," she replied in a hushed voice.

"Now you get some sleep," Wakana admonished in a very mothering tone. "Hopefully sleep will come swiftly. I want you in tip top condition tomorrow. The days are too nice to spend them indoors." The light in her room was extinguished and he heard the inside doors open. "Once again I am glad that you were safely returned home to us," added Wakana as she shut the door. He could not bother her now. Not after Wakana's warning. She had to have known he was there for her to add the bit about sleep coming swiftly.

He turned and walked quietly back to his room. He would speak to her tomorrow. He just hoped sleep would come swiftly to him as well.

----------------------------------------------------

Julia lay there after Wakana left, completely unable to close her eyes. She had grown to care for the old demoness very much, but sometimes she'd wished she'd just keep her opinions to herself. Granted, she had asked how he had reacted in spite of her brain telling her she didn't care, but the rest was unsolicited.

Wakana was obviously trying to convince her to give Sesshoumaru another chance. But, she could not tell the old demoness all of her reasons for cutting herself off from him. Wakana had said she was glad she was returned home, but this was not her home. She belonged five hundred years in the future, where this world did not even exist anymore, a world where she would not have to deal with the fickle feelings of a demon lord.

_It is time for me to go_, she told herself as she finally closed her eyes.

--------------------------------------------

Kagome watched Julia play with the children from the shade of a near by tree. She seemed to be back to her old self again, except for the fact that she continued to go out of her way to avoid Sesshoumaru. Kagome wished she knew what had happened between those two, but she could not get the courage up to ask. Whatever it was, it had started before her kidnapping, and quite obviously Sesshoumaru's rescue did not seem to fix the problem.

She had tried asking Inu Yasha what he thought was going on, but he had only laughed and sarcastically said "It's Sesshoumaru, what do you expect?" He didn't say anything more, but she knew he understood what was going on more than the others. _He can be such a pain sometimes_, she thought as she rested her head on her raised knees. Granted it really wasn't any of her business, but…

"You okay, Kagome?" asked Julia, surprising her out of her thoughts. She hadn't even seen her sit down next to her. A quick glance told her that the kids were still playing with Kouga and Kirara. "You looked like you were spaced out there for a second."

"Yeah, I'm fine, I was just thinking about some stuff," she replied giving her friend a smile.

"Like a good place to meet Inu Yasha later?" smirked the other girl with a sly smile. Kagome felt her face go red immediately.

"No!" she cried waving her hands in front of her face and shaking her head. "That wasn't it at all."

"I swear, you kids are so cute," Julia chuckled.

"How did you know anything had changed between us?" Kagome asked, still red from the topic.

"I've known since the night of the party," Julia answered with a smile. "You two might have thought you were being sly about it, but I doubt I'm the only one who has noticed." She turned her face from Kagome's to the others playing. "Come on, Kouga, you can take'em, they're only kids!" she yelled a moment later. Kagome smiled and watched as the kids all dog piled on Kouga with Kirara taking the top of the pile. Kagome briefly wondered what would happen if she transformed into her larger self and then quickly decided it would be best if that did not happen. "I'm going to miss this," Julia said quietly a moment later.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked. Julia turned her face towards her then, her eyes sad.

"Kagome, it is time for me to go," she said flatly. There was no question in her voice. She had already made up her mind.

"But I don't understand," Kagome stammered out, "we haven't beaten Naraku yet, and you still have time before you start work." Julia smiled and looked out across the field again.

"True," she said in the same voice, "but it is not like I will be any help in that fight. You guys all have your own special power that will help with that. Me, I'm just your garden variety human."

"That is not true!" Kagome shot out immediately, causing Julia to look at her with eyes wide in surprise. "You have helped us all so much." Julia only stared at her.

"With what, Kagome?" she said finally. "With Kohaku? In the end it was really Rin's words that got through to him."

"But if you hadn't been there, Sesshoumaru wouldn't have hesitated to kill him." Kagome insisted. "And it's not just that. You helped Inu Yasha and Kouga work through their differences, you helped Kohaku find a purpose in his life again and helped him to move on from the past, and…" she trailed off. Did she dare bring it up?

"Those were things that any of you could have done," Julia replied with a shrug. "I just happened to be there." Kagome made up her mind. It did not matter now, not if Julia had already made her decision to leave, so there was nothing to lose.

"And you helped a narrow minded, heartless demon lord see the bigger picture," she added, but there was no change in the older woman's features.

"No, Kagome," she replied stoically, "in the end, I don't think even that has changed. Not completely, anyway."

"But-"

"No, Kagome," she cut her off, "it is time for me to go." There really was no arguing with her. Kagome sighed.

"Alright, Julia. I don't understand why, but I know you have your reasons," she said after a moment. "I'll tell the others and we can take you back to the well in the morning. That should give you enough time to say your good byes." Julia smiled, leaned forward, and hugged her.

"Thank you, Kagome." Julia replied. She released her and Kagome could see a smile return to her face. "Well, I guess I better get back out there before Kouga decides to get serious." She winked at Kagome and walked back out to the field.

Kagome sat there numbly for a moment watching her resume play with the kids. She didn't want Julia to leave. Julia did not want to admit it, but she really was the reason they were all so close to defeating Naraku. There were so many decisions that led up to this point that were made simply because of something Julia had said or done. What had Sesshoumaru done to her to make her doubt her own self worth?

"What's up?" said a familiar voice from behind her. A moment later Inu Yasha sat down next to her.

"Julia is leaving," she said tonelessly, without looking at him.

"What?" Inu Yasha was obviously surprised, and from the tone of his voice he did not like the idea either.

"That is what she just told me," explained Kagome, finally looking at him. His face matched his voice. "I tried to convince her to stay, but she wouldn't listen to me." Inu Yasha furrowed his brows then and looked at the ground. He did know something.

"It is probably for the best," he said suddenly. Kagome looked at him in shock.

"How can you say that?" she asked placing her hand on his and leaning towards him.

"It's Sesshoumaru, what do you expect?" he said once again mimicking his earlier statement, but this time there was nothing sarcastic about it.

--------------------------------------------------

Julia walked through the garden in the cool night air. She had already gotten ready for bed when she decided that she wanted to walk down its paths once more. _This is the last time_, she thought to herself rather sadly. The wind picked up momentarily, bringing the scent of cherry blossoms and whipping her robe around her legs. A few fireflies still danced around the pond and off in the distance she could see the little bridge that stood over the small stream. She decided that she could not go that way and instead walked off the path towards her favorite spot overlooking the valley below.

It had been an adventure alright, and now she would be going back to the future, back to her normal life. Part of her was sad, but she also knew that she had to do it. It was getting pretty close to the start of her new job anyway. At least, that was the reason she kept telling the others. Kagome had spread the word and at dinner she had to put up with an onslaught of "Why now?"s and "You can't!"s from the others, especially the children.

But, she had finally been able to say her good-byes. Wakana had wanted to prepare something special in honor of her departure, but Julia insisted that she do nothing of the sort. She could see that Wakana did not want her to leave either, and some part of her was happy that so many people cared about her, but somehow their good feelings were not enough to outweigh the feelings of one other. She hugged herself and took a deep breath. _Returning to the future is the best thing to do_, she told herself.

She heard a twig snap behind her and realized she was no longer alone. Sesshoumaru stood a short distance away, his face unreadable. She had not said her good-byes to him, and even now she could not bring herself to do so.

"I was just getting some fresh air," she said lamely without looking at him. "I'm going in now, so the hill is yours." She tried to make her voice as light as possible as she turned to leave the clearing. However, her route of departure was suddenly cut off by Sesshoumaru stepping in front of her.

---------------------------------------------------

"You are leaving," he said stoically. It was more of a statement than a question, but she nodded anyway. "Why?"

"It's time," she responded, not looking at him.

"Rin tells me she doesn't want you to go," he said softly, "she was most upset tonight."

"Rin has plenty of friends now, she will not need me. Besides, it is not like you want me hanging around telling you what to do," she tried to leave as she said this, but was stopped by him stepping in front of her once more.

"I would think you would know by now that you should not presume to tell me what I 'want'".

Sesshoumaru watched the fire return to her eyes when he blocked her path once more and they momentarily met his, but it left just as soon as it appeared and she again avoided his eyes.

"You're right," she said softly, "I have no idea what you want. But, I have no reason to stay." His heart seemed to stop; he had not expected that response. Her voice had been so emotionless, so cold - too much like his own could be.

"You would leave before Naraku has been defeated?" he asked, trying to regain some of his composure.

"You said yourself I would be no match for him," she responded with a sad laugh, still not looking at him, "You were right. How am I going to help when the time comes to take him down? I can't." she answered for herself. "So I will leave my shard with Kagome and I will go home, where I belong. Good night, Sesshoumaru," she added and then turned to leave. But he could not let her go yet.

"Are you so eager to leave my presence?" She stopped, but did not turn. "It seems that every time I am present you leave."

"I don't know what you mean," she responded without turning.

"Then why can't you even look at me?" he asked, hoping to get a rise out of her. Her anger would be better than the ice she now wore. But it did not work, for she turned and looked at him.

"I can look at you just fine," she replied, but even as she said it her gaze shifted. He would not resort to an 'I told you so' for in that short instant of eye contact he could see pain that made him want to do anything to make it go away. "Do you even know why it was that I left you the other morning…after our match?" He shook his head, though he knew she was not watching him. He just could not seem to find his voice, however she must have known the answer.

"I was so angry, with you and your attitude and…with myself. I've always prided myself on being my own person. I was never going to become someone I was not for the sake of another. But, for the first time in my life I found myself wishing that I was something else, and I hated it. I was so caught up in it all that I didn't realize what was going on until it was too late." She paused for a moment, but he knew she would continue.

"Naraku tried to get me to give him the shard by force," she ran a hand over the bruise she bore on her cheek. A mark that did not help the ache he felt in his chest. "But, I would not give in," she smiled weakly, "I'm not weak. I told myself over and over, I could handle it. Then when I found myself floating in darkness unsure as to where I was, I found my way through, but not before that little bastard Akago had a chance to pry my heart open. Though I really aught to thank him." Sesshoumaru stared at her, unsure why in the hell that would be the case. "He opened my eyes to something that I refused to fully admit to myself…" she trailed off and then she looked directly at him. He could see the pain and what looked like unshed tears in her eyes, but there was also determination and perhaps resignation as well. "That no mater what…you would never be able to lov…care about me for me." He stopped breathing for a moment, the blood drained from his face. She smiled weakly again, but did not look away.

"What?" he questioned softly, still not sure he of what he was hearing.

"I am human after all. Nothing can change that, I don't want to change that, and you don't want that." She turned to leave then but he still could not let her go. He turned her and grabbed her about the shoulders.

"I thought I told you about telling me what I want." He would not let this end this way, he could not let her leave, he…

"What do you want then?" she asked looking him in the eyes once again. He could hear a small amount of anger in her voice, "You want me to stay and baby-sit Rin for the rest of my life? What?"

"No," he shot back, "I…I want you to stay." There he'd said it. He wanted her here. He did not want her to leave.

"Why?" she asked quietly. "You would always want me to be something I am not. Like when we were sparring. You expected me to be capable of things that only someone with demon abilities could do. You're not just going to wake up one day and find me different from who I am tonight."

"I know that," he said perhaps a little harsher than he had meant to, "You know I do." He added, but more gently.

"But, I don't know that," she replied, "and I can't live my life like that." He released her then, but could not look away. They stood silently for a moment until she turned to leave, "I will promise you something though," she said quietly, back to him, "I will always remember this place and the good times we had together. Good night, Sesshoumaru." She left the clearing and he could not stop her. She had said good night, but it had really been good-bye.

She was going to leave and it was his fault. If he had admitted to himself sooner what he was feeling then she would have never been captured by Naraku and that little brat would not have been able to use him to cause her so much pain. He hung his head in defeat. Inu Yasha had been right. It really did affect everyone the same.

-----------------------------------------------

A/N: Ahhh. Poor Sesshoumaru. And what about Kouga? Nice guys never do get the girl do they? But, hey if you were wondering, the girl I alluded to that was meant for him was Ayame…at least that is what I think ;D

Okay the last chapter is coming soon, but I really have to sleep now…

Review….


	15. It Can't End Like This

Update: Chapter edited.

Disclaimer: Inu and Co aren't mine, Julia is…and Wakana, I can't believe I kept forgetting Wakana in the disclaimer…I love her how could I forget her…oh right sorry…so yeah…

A/N: First off, let me say wow. I've gotten some really great reviews from you guys and I am just completely floored. This was my first fic and I am blown away by all of the positive feed back. Thank you all so much. I only hope you like how it ends. Okay, so now onto the last chapter…that title makes you nervous doesn't it?

--------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Fifteen: It Can't End Like This…

Naraku smiled as he watched the little band leave the protection of Sesshoumaru's barrier through Kana's mirror. He knew they would live through his trap, and now he would not only have the shards, but they would lead him to something even more powerful.

-------------------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru had not been able to think of anything except that confounded human woman. More precisely, about the fact that she was now gone. It did not help that Rin had come crying to him the moment they had all left. He amazed himself by not turning the small girl away, but by picking her up and carrying her to her room where she cried herself to sleep in his arms.

Upon exiting her room, Sesshoumaru found the little ninja boy waiting outside the door with a concerned look on his face.

"Is she going to be alright?" he asked in a strong voice, but there was still a kind of shyness there, like he was still not quite comfortable around Sesshoumaru.

"She will be fine," he answered. "She will overcome the loss in time." The boy nodded and then turned and walked down the hallway towards his own room.

It was nearing the middle of the day and Sesshoumaru had been sitting in his study since then trying to work, but was still having no luck. It was then that the thought struck him. _Since when do I, Sesshoumaru, ever give up?_ If he wanted something he would take it. It was not too late - he would make her see that what Akago had shown her was wrong. He quickly donned his armor and weapons out of habit when leaving the protection of his shield. _Nobody defeats this Sesshoumaru!_ he thought as he morphed into a ball of energy and took off after them.

---------------------------------------------

Miroku had called Hatchi just as soon as they had left the barrier, so they were now all seated comfortably atop the tanuki. Julia had insisted that everyone did not need to come, but as it was only Rin and Kohaku had stayed behind. _And Sesshoumaru_, Kagome thought glumly. To her knowledge the two had not spoken in the last few days. However, at this point she didn't even know if it would have mattered.

The trip to the well was a quiet one punctuated only by Hatchi telling Miroku that he owed him for all the help he was giving him. Julia sat near Hatchi's head, with Kouga at her side, and never once looked back towards the castle. The rest of them sat a little ways back as there really wasn't all that much room where Julia was sitting. Kagome had taken that to mean Julia really did not want to talk, so she had left her alone.

Sometime around noon the well came into view and Hatchi descended to the ground. With a pop and a poof of smoke Hatchi transformed into his usual tanuki self and the rest of them found themselves standing on the ground. After they approached the well Julia stood by it for a moment before turning to the rest of them.

"Well, this is it," she said with a smile as she began to remove the Jewel shard from around her neck. "You're sure I can go back without it?" she asked Kagome.

"Yes," replied Kagome, "it worked that way once before when Inu Yasha sent me through it with out my shards," she explained, and glanced over at Inu Yasha to see a semi-sheepish look on his face.

"Okay," Julia said as she handed the shard to Kagome. She placed her hand on her throat where the shard normally rested and looked wistfully at it for a moment. She smiled again and then looked at everyone. "Just don't want to break my legs. That can kind of put a damper on a girl's day." Kagome and the others smiled. "Man, I'm going to miss you guys." Julia gave each of them a hug, even Inu Yasha, which seemed to surprise him, and climbed up onto the lip of the well.

It was then that Kagome sensed something familiar, but could not tell precisely what it was. It was coming closer at incredible speeds. _No!_ she thought, but before she could get a warning out it was too late. It all happened so fast. Julia was about to jump in the well when she was suddenly snatched out of the air. Everyone turned at once to see Naraku standing there with Julia clutched in one of his many arms.

The presence she felt must have been the almost completed Jewel of Four Souls, but if that was the case then Naraku's shielding must be nearly invincible.

"Naraku!" Inu Yasha yelled, sword already drawn. "Let her go! She doesn't have a shard anymore. Your battle is with us!" Naraku only laughed.

"She still has a purpose, half-breed," he said with a smile. "She will be my guide in this new world," he said, gesturing towards the well. Kagome's blood ran cold. _How does he know?_ "Though Akago failed in taking control of this pitiful human," he said as he shook Julia in the air, "he did catch glimpses of a place far different from ours. He simply couldn't determine how to get there."

"That was why you let us take her back so easily!" Miroku shouted, finally putting it all together.

"I knew if I was patient long enough you would show me the way," Naraku confirmed. "Now give me the shards and we'll end this. I'll even be merciful and give you all swift deaths."

"That is not going to happen, Naraku," another voice stated as a ball of light appeared before them. A moment later Sesshoumaru stood in its place. Kagome inwardly cheered. With Sesshoumaru they had a chance, but Naraku still held Julia. A fact that meant no one would attack Naraku at full strength. Somehow they needed to first free Julia, but how?

--------------------------

Julia had struggled to free herself from Naraku's clutches, but was having no luck, especially when he continued to shake her. She kicked herself when Naraku explained how he knew about the future. Akago had seen her visions while he had her trapped in darkness. She really was being worthless to these guys. Then having Sesshoumaru appear and see her hanging in midair…_Man I just can't get a break can I? _she thought helplessly to herself. _Oh, this is ridiculous. I need to get out of here!_ she told herself with a little more heart.

"Sesshoumaru, I see you've decided to join in your brother's fate," Naraku goaded.

"They're going to kick your sorry butt back to hell, you jerk!" Julia yelled at him as she whacked at the arm holding her with her backpack. Probably not the best idea as he held her suspended above him.

"Kagura, hold this," Naraku commanded as he tossed Julia behind him. She thought for sure she was going to hit the ground and break just about every bone in her body when she landed on something soft. Opening her eyes she saw Kagura standing above her. She scrambled to her knees to find that she was floating on one of the wind demoness's feathers a short distance from Naraku.

Naraku looked so smug, like there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to win. She could see her friends were anxious to start the battle, but something was holding them back. _Me_, she thought with a wave of guilt. _They don't want to hurt me. Damn Naraku to whatever hell is the worst._ She looked back at Kagura to see the demoness watching her master with great interest.

"Kagura," Julia said in a low voice. The wind demoness did not acknowledge her, but she knew she had to have heard her. "Kagura, Naraku is going to win this fight unless you do something." Kagura's eyes narrowed slightly at her words. "My friends don't want to hurt me, and as long as I am here they won't attack him at full strength." A blast directed at her friends punctuated her words. They were only on the defensive. Not one of them had tried to attack Naraku directly. "Kagura,-"

"What would you have me do?" she asked, cutting her off, "If I move on him I am as good as dead. He holds my heart - if I do not obey him he will kill me." Julia saw a hint of fear and anger in Kagura's eyes.

"But, if you don't, you'll never be free," Julia coaxed as another blast was sent towards her friends. "You don't have to do anything other than get me out of here." Kagura looked down at her. "Once I am out of the way they'll take him out."

"But…" she trailed off and looked back at Naraku.

"He is distracted right now," she explained trying to make her point, "just get us as far away as possible." Kagura looked at her once more, confusion in her eyes. Julia thought she may have done it, but then her eyes hardened again.

"No, I will do as I am ordered. This is not worth risking my life over," she said flatly and then looked back at Naraku. _Damn,_ thought Julia, _looks like I have to do this the hard way._

She swept out her leg, knocked Kagura's feet out from under her, and then jumped out of the feather. Thankfully they were not that far off the ground. Once her feet made contact she took off at a full blown run. It didn't take Kagura long to give chase and she would be on her in a matter of seconds. It was now or never.

"SESSHOUMARU! INU YASHA! DO IT NOW!" she yelled out to them as she continued to run. The last thing she remembered was Naraku crying out in confusion and a bright light surrounding the area. Then there was darkness.

---------------------------------------------------

Sesshoumaru heard her call and saw her run with Kagura in hot pursuit. She had gotten away, but was it far enough? This, however, would be the best chance they would get. Naraku had been distracted by her, and Julia must have known that.

"Inu Yasha," he called, and signaled for him to unleash Tetsusaiga's ultimate attack. His brother hesitated for a moment and then the sword flared red. He, too, knew that this was it.

"Let's end this," Inu Yasha said as he charged forward. Sesshoumaru followed, Tokijin glowing brightly. They would indeed end this. Together, they let their attacks fly. The shield held for only a moment and then it was completely obliterated.

They could hear Naraku scream in anger and pain. He tried to escape, but part of Sesshoumaru's attack had been to bind him there while the gales from Tetsusaiga tore him to pieces. Not a pleasant way to go, but it was nothing more than he deserved. When the wind and light finally died away they approached to find nothing more that a pile of tattered bandages and the almost completed Jewel.

"It's gone," breathed out the monk as he looked at the hand where his wind tunnel used to reside. The demon hunter immediately wrapped her arms around him and he swung her about like they were not standing in the middle of a battle field.

"Where is Julia?" Kagome asked quietly as she retrieved the Jewel, halting all merriment. Sesshoumaru looked the rubble-strewn battle field over. There was no sign of her. He let his sense of smell tell him what his eyes could not, but scorched earth was all that filled his senses. _No,_ he thought, _even if she is dead I can revive her, but without a body for her soul to return to there is no way…_

"What's that?" the fox kit squeaked. All eyes, including his own, followed the kit's little outstretched hand. In an instant Sesshoumaru was there and on his knees. It was Julia's pack, and it was not in the best of shape. He scanned the area, but saw no sign of her. The others caught up and he heard one of the girls gasp at the sight of the bag.

His insides were on fire, he felt as though he could not breathe. His mind reeled with the idea that she might in fact be gone. He clutched the bag in his hands and looked in wonder at the small droplet of water that landed on his thumb. Not since his mother had died had he shed tears for another, not even when his father passed away. _She can't be gone_, he told himself.

"She's gone?" the small fox kit asked, sorrow in his voice.

"No," replied Kagome, "she can't be, she just can't." The girl broke down into tears and he heard Inu Yasha move to comfort her. He stood then, still holding her bag, and turned to walk away. His job here was done; the fate of the jewel was up to his brother.

"Oh man, being buried alive is _not_ fun," he heard a voice from behind him. The others gasped and he turned to see Julia pulling herself from a pile of debris. "You guys think you could give me a hand?" He was by her side before she even finished her request. He knelt down and finished pulling her from the rubble only to embrace her a moment later.

"We thought you had perished," he said hoarsely into her ear, still not believing that he was holding her.

"Not possible," she said softly back. He released her and was held by her eyes. They were same as when they first met. There was no anger, no pain, only her fierce determination. "It takes more than a couple of measly energy blasts to do me in." She smiled and his heart felt a hundred times lighter. It seemed as though she was back to her old self. But, it did not last. A moment later her smile faded and she looked away from him.

"Julia!" yelled the fox kit as he leapt into her arms stifling any further conversation. He was followed by the others and Sesshoumaru stepped away to let others be with her.

"I'm fine, really," she said as the demon hunter helped her to her feet. Other than being covered in dirt, she did indeed look like she was in one piece, though she was a little unsteady. They helped her over to the well where she sat upon its lip. "Well, I guess I got to see Naraku defeated after all," she said to those around her, but her eyes merely slid over Sesshoumaru who had chosen to stand back a ways. "So did you get it Kagome? The Jewel?" The girl nodded and produced the almost completed jewel from her pocket along with her bottle of shards and Julia's pendent.

"I guess it is time for me to give these up as well," said the wolf as he knelt and ceremoniously removed each shard from his leg. With a sigh he set them gently into Kagome's hand.

"Thank you, Kouga." she said as she hugged him. Much to the dismay of Inu Yasha, Sesshoumaru noted. _How childish to be jealous,_ he thought and then saw the wolf glance over at Julia and receive a smile in return. _Perhaps not that silly_ he corrected himself.

Kagome emptied the bottle of shards into her hand and then cupped them. She closed her eyes and appeared to be concentrating on something. A moment later her hands were surrounded by a soft pink glow. When she opened her hands a whole Jewel lay where its pieces had been but a moment earlier.

"Inu Yasha," she called softly, "I think this is yours." She held the jewel out to him, but he did not immediately take it. _What will you do with it little brother?_

------------------------------------

Inu Yasha stared at the Jewel in Kagome's outstretched hand. It had been the object of his desires to begin with, but he no longer wanted what the Jewel could give him. He walked forward and folded Kagome's fingers around the Jewel.

"No," he said, looking her in the eyes. "Kagome…you make the wish." Kagome smiled at him and then jumped into his arms. He held her, not wanting to let go. Then she placed her hands on his chest and looked up at him.

"I should have done this a long time ago," she said quietly as she reached up and removed the prayer beads from his neck. A thought that she could still not trust him after all this time flared into his head, but she quickly extinguished it. "It's just that this was the only way to save you sometimes." She placed the beads in his hands and then took a step back. He grinned at her as she did so and stuffed the beads into his jacket. There was a time when he could think of nothing more than strangling the old woman who had cursed him with them, but he realized that that curse had been more of a blessing.

"End the battle within you," he heard Kagome say in a clear, but soft voice, as she held the Jewel in front of her. "Free Midoriko's soul and vanquish the demons." The jewel floated out of her hands and into the air. It almost seemed as though it had shattered all over again, but once the light faded a figure stood facing Kagome. Immediately, Kirara walked over to join it.

"It has been a long time, my friend," a serene voice said calmly. Kirara seemed almost to smile. "Your selfless wish has finally freed my soul and brought my century-long battle to a close. Thank you, Kagome," Midoriko said as she bowed to her. "But now, it is time for you and your friend to go home. The magic that joins your time to this one will fade along with the power of the Jewel. I will use the last of that power to send you to your proper time." Inu Yasha was speechless. Kagome would have to leave.

"What if I chose to stay?" asked Kagome.

"I'm sorry, but that is not possible. You must be where you belong in order to maintain a balance." Kagome turned to Inu Yasha, tears in her eyes. Inu Yasha thought he might be on the verge of tears himself. She rushed to him and threw her arms about him. He held onto her tightly, not wanting to let go, but knowing at the same time that he must. However, knowing that she would have stayed with him only made what he had to do harder.

"I don't want to leave you," she said softly into his chest.

"But, you have to," he said gently, "Midoriko is right…this is not your time. Would you really be happy abandoning your family and friends to stay here, or living a double life if you could?"

"But…" she tried to speak, but she didn't appear to be able to get any words out.

"Kagome, I love you, you know that," he whispered in her ear. She choked back a sob and then looked at him. "I will always love you. Remember that." He kissed her, a kiss he hoped conveyed his feelings better than any silly words could.

--------------------------------

Sesshoumaru stood watching in utter confusion as the figure emerged from the Jewel. Who was she and what was she talking about? Julia and Kagome could not 'stay in this time'? What did that mean? He looked to Julia for answers, but she seemed hell bent on ignoring him. But he would not be satisfied with that. Since his brother seemed otherwise occupied he turned towards the monk and the demon hunter.

"What is going on?" he demanded.

"This is the priestess Midoriko," Miroku explained, then he proceeded to quickly explain the origins of the Jewel. "Lady Julia and Kagome are from a time five hundred years into our future," he continued. _What?_ "And that is where they must now return." _What!?_ Kagome and Inu Yasha had apparently finished their good-byes and she came over to her other friends to say her farewells. The small fox kit immediately jumped into her arms and begged her not to leave.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked Julia while the others were busy.

"I told you, I always keep my promises," she said without turning her face towards him. "It's not like this changes anything, anyway."

"I care for you, Julia," he said suddenly, his heart beating more fiercely than it ever had, "It does not matter to me that you are human."

"But you would always be wishing that I wasn't," she replied, and then finally looked at him.

"You don't think that I can change?" he asked in a slightly louder voice, not caring if anyone overheard. She did something then that surprised him. She stood and reached up to brush the hair out of his eyes and then cupped his face.

"I guess we'll never know," she said quietly with a sad smile. She slowly dropped her hand and then went to say good bye to the others, leaving him standing there watching her. She smiled at them all and hugged each in turn, and ended with giving the wolf a punch in the arm. _She is leaving me. This wonderful, fascinating, special person is leaving me._

"Kagome, it is time," Midoriko called as she stroked Kirara's head. Kagome nodded and grabbed Julia's hand. "Good-bye again, dear friend," he heard Midoriko say to Kirara. Then, closing her eyes and turning her face skyward, she held her arms out as if to enfold the two girls. The girls were cloaked in a brilliant pink light. Kagome waved to her friends once more, as did Julia, and he thought she spared a special glace at him - a glance of true affection.

The light began to blind them and almost as soon as it did it faded and they found themselves standing in the clearing minus their visitors from the future. The fire cat sniffed the air in the area where the priestess had stood, and then walked slowly back to the demon hunter. _I guess we will never know,_ he thought sadly as he stared at the empty space she used to occupy. He could hear the kit crying in the background as a hand was laid on his shoulder. It was Inu Yasha.

"You know, brother," he said rather more cheerfully than he thought was appropriate for the moment, "five hundred years isn't _that_ long, is it?" A smile crept onto Sesshoumaru's lips. _Maybe we will know,_ he thought as he looked towards the well.

_Maybe we will._

------------------------------

Julia stood in the shower of her little apartment wishing the water was just a little hotter. Those springs in the past had spoiled her. She smiled briefly at the thought. After the light had faded she and Kagome had found themselves standing in the dark well house that had begun to journey for both of them. She had walked Kagome to her house where she was introduced to her family. Kagome quickly summed up the end of her journey, and explained how Julia had come to be part of it. She seemed cheerful enough, but Julia knew that she was hurting.

She knew Kagome was because she was too. Julia had almost lost herself in that instant when Sesshoumaru embraced her after she was buried. It was like all had been forgiven and forgotten. But, that ever present whisper had returned. 'Only human.' She knew she had to go, but even now she could hear Sesshoumaru's voice. 'I care about you…you don't think I can change?'

"I guess we'll never know," Julia repeated to herself. "It's not like I could have stayed anyway."

But for Kagome, it wasn't just Inu Yasha. She had to leave behind a whole second life that she had grown to love. They had said their good-byes and Julia gave Kagome her phone number with the promise of homework help, or just someone to talk to if she needed it. Kagome hugged her and told her that she would definitely keep in touch, especially if Julia was any good at math. Not to mention the free English lessons Julia could give her.

She stepped out of the shower and tried to dry off as best she could without her muscles screaming at her. Once she got all the dirt off from being buried earlier that day she had been surprised to see that she wasn't black and blue all over. She put on her terrycloth robe and wiped away some of the steam from the mirror. She poked at the edges of the remnants of the bruise on her face.

"A couple of more days and some cover up should do the trick to hide that little souvenir from the past," she said to herself with a sigh. She flipped off the bathroom light and walked by the table where she had placed the small amount of mail that had accumulated, mostly for the last resident of the apartment, and where the answering machine sat. The number twelve kept blinking at her, but she just didn't feel like dealing with the messages right now. They could wait.

She kicked something as she continued by and noticed her little back pack sitting at the base of the table. She picked it up and examined it. The poor thing looked like it had been to hell and back. She dumped out its contents onto the sofa and then walked into the kitchen. She had to forget about the past. There was nothing that could change it. She squeezed the little leather bag one more time and then placed it in the garbage can under the sink.

"But," she said to herself as she flicked the light off in the kitchen and headed to bed, "that really was one hell of an adventure."

fin

A/N: Well it has been fun and I hope you enj…just kidding. Did I mention there is an Epilogue…continue for the fluffy goodness, or don't the choice is up to you.


	16. Epilogue

Update: Chapter edited.

Disclaimer: Usual stuff

A/N: You didn't really think I was going to let it end like that did you? Granted it was a pretty solid ending, and most of the Animes I have seen will do that…get you right to the point where it could be happy and then end it without the pay off…noooo, I'm not bitter…anyway, so I won't do that to you.

Oh, and there will be more art for this story in the near future on my Elfwood site so please stop by occasionally if you are interested (Go to my bio page for the link)

Okay, enough rambling, enjoy….

------------------------------------------------

Epilogue

"Hi Kagome," Julia said into the receiver, "I'm going to have to cancel our movie Sunday night. Yeah, I know, I wanted to see it too, but I was just informed of a Charity Ball that one of our clients is having that night, and that I am required to go to it. My boss feels it will be a good way for me to meet most of our clientele, since they will all surely be there. Yeah, okay, give me a call later in the week and we'll plan another time. Okay, bye."

It had been two weeks since she had started her job, and the one thing she had discovered so far was that her boss was a major space cadet. He didn't speak a lick of English, despite the fact that he had been working with her company for years, and frequently neglected to tell her about upcoming events. Needless to say, this was not the first time she had to cancel something on behalf of work.

Now she had to find something to wear to the Ball. Thankfully she had asked what the attire was. Otherwise, she would have shown up wearing one of her usual business suits. She sighed as she thought of the other arrangements she had to make. Apparently the event was being held at some old castle outside the city, which meant she had to arrange for a limo to take her boss plus his guest and her out to it. She probably had to rent him a tux, too. She was beginning to feel like a glorified secretary rather than a foreign liaison.

--------------------------------------

He watched his guests pour in through the main entrance, scanning their faces for the one he had only seen in his dreams these last few centuries. She had yet to show, but the evening was still young. She would be there.

"Mr. Yamasaki," said an older woman, drawing his attention away from the door, "this is indeed a splendid affair." He nodded politely to her and looked back towards the door. It was then that she appeared, walking in behind her employer and his date. She looked around the room and he thought he saw a hint of recognition in her eyes, but it vanished as her employer distracted her. She wore a simple strapless, midnight blue evening gown that fell just above her ankles. Her hair was swept up into a mass of curls with a few strands framing her face. She was as beautiful as he remembered.

"Excuse me," he said to the woman, who had continued speaking to him despite the fact that he had no idea what she was saying. He headed towards the door to find her, but stopped when she was only steps away.

"This is Julia Pierce," her boss said as he introduced her to one of their clients, "she is the liaison with the office in the United States." He watched her smile as she shook the other man's hand and greeted him. He pulled back to the wall and simply watched her as her boss took her around the room introducing her to various people. Time passed and still he could not approach her.

"Wow, she looks just like I remember," said a man leaning against the wall next to him.

"Of course she does, it has only been a few weeks for her," he replied with slight frustration. It had been such a short time for her. _Would she still feel the same way about him? Would she believe that he had changed?_

"Ooo, touchy," the other man teased. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there." He received a punch in the arm and turned to glare at his companion.

"Aren't you starting school tomorrow?" he said with a twisted smile. "I think it might be past your bed time."

"Keh, like I actually plan on being a good student," the other man replied as he walked casually away.

He shook his head and looked back to where she had been. However, she was no longer standing there. He spotted her boss in his first sweep through the crowd, but she seemed to have vanished. He glanced towards the main entrance and it was there that he spotted her retreating back. _Where was she going?_ He quickly made his way through his guests to follow her.

He found her. She was making her way down the pathway in his garden. She was alone and this was his chance.

----------------------------------

She walked down the path, staving off the mass feelings of déjà vu. This whole place seemed somehow familiar. She looked down the path towards the stream where a small bridge stretched over its width, much too familiar. But it was not possible that this could be the same place, the place five hundred years in the past that she had tried to put behind her.

"Did the evening become too much for you?" The words and voice instantly brought back memories of another evening spent in this type of garden. But, when she turned it was not a demon lord staring back at her. He was a thirties-ish Japanese business man. He was tall with long hair, tied back into a neat tail. For an instant the image changed and she saw him with flowing silver hair and golden eyes, but she quickly shook her head and tried to ignore the image.

"No," she answered with a smile. "It's just that this garden is so beautiful. It reminds me of a place I used to know."

"I'm glad you're enjoying my estate," he said with an easy smile. This was definitely not the same person. He had never been so quick with a smile.

"Oh, then you must be Mr. Yamasaki," she said with a bow, "It is a pleasure to meet you. My boss has been trying to find you all night. I'm-"

"Julia Pierce," he interrupted, "I know." She eyed him slightly and wanted to ask how he knew, but she figured that he must have run into her boss while she'd been away. "Would you like me to show you around?" he asked giving her another smile.

"That would be wonderful," she replied and fell in beside him as he started down the path. They walked in silence for a moment, but there was nothing awkward about it. It almost felt as if she had done this before. She glanced up at him and once again his image shifted to the man she was trying to forget.

"You know," he said suddenly, "this garden is beautiful, but there is an even better spot."

"Oh?" she said, curious as to what he was talking about.

"Come with me," he said as he grabbed her hand and dragged her off the path through the trees. She briefly thought that she should be worried about being dragged off by a stranger, but all such thoughts quickly left her head when she laid eyes on his destination.

"What is this?" she said quietly to herself. It was her hillside. The valley below was now filled with the lights of various forms of developments, but it was the same.

"Don't tell me you have forgotten?" He had heard her?! She turned towards him. He stood a few feet away, how had he heard her? "You promised you would not, and I know you always keep your promises." That look, that tone, there could be no mistaking it, but…

"It isn't possible," she said, breathing deeply in shock.

"But it is?" he said softly as he closed his eyes. His appearance seemed to shimmer and where Mr. Yamasaki had once stood, Sesshoumaru now stood in Yamasaki's clothes.

"I don't understand," she said, still in disbelief.

"Let's just say that I have wanted to see you for a very long time," he said as he walked over to her.

"But, Mr. Yamasaki?" she asked still trying to grasp the situation.

"Is me," he answered as he stopped in front of her.

"But, how did you know where I would be?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small envelope.

"With this," he said handing it to her. It was her driver's license from back in the States, with the post-it on the back listing her new address in Japan and her move-in date. "I had meant to return it to you, but I never got around to it."

"You went through my stuff," she stated, somewhat irked but still in shock. He only nodded and shrugged his shoulders.

"But I could have found you without it," he said a moment later. "Julia I…" He paused, looked down at the ground for a moment, and then continued, "Can you give me another chance? Five hundred years is enough to change any man, and I-"

She stopped any further coaxing of his with the kiss she placed on his lips. He was rigid with surprise at first, but in no time returned the kiss in full. She had seen and heard all she needed. Just seeing him there was enough to erase any doubts she had. They broke the kiss and he wrapped her in his arms.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said, somewhat breathlessly, a moment later.

"You could say that," she answered, reveling in his closeness. Then another thought entered her head. "Hey, what about Inu Yasha? Did he find Kagome?" She heard him laugh slightly and she looked up to see another smile on his face.

"I'll tell you over breakfast," he said quietly as he kissed her once more. _Yes_, she thought as he swept her off her feet, _it could definitely wait 'til breakfast_.

Right now she had a fairy tale to get back to.

_The End_

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Well, this is indeed the end of the story. Hope you all liked it. I know I had fun writing it. Again, thanks for all the positive feed back, it was much appreciated.

Please review and let me know what you all thought.

Sequel? Hmmm I dunno?


	17. FYI

For new readers, there is a semi-sequel to this story that follows Kouga after the end of this story call What about the Wolf: Kouga's Story. Check it out by clicking on my pen name and following the link there.

Thanks for reading.


End file.
